Causal Blocks
Correlation? Find out who's really behind it.
Play the gameIce cream sales and shark attacks rise together.
Is ice cream to blame?
Draw two arrows from Hot weather: one to each of the others. Drag from one box onto another.
Meet the family
You already know them: they're in your life too.
TreatmentAlways pushing. Everyone says it makes things happen. Does it really?
OutcomeEasily surprised. Things keep happening to it, and everyone wants to know why.
ConfounderThe puppet master. Pulls two strings at once, so two things rise together without touching.
MediatorAlways in a hurry, carrying the message from one to the other. Stop it and the effect stops.
ColliderDecides who gets in. Look only at who's inside, and strangers seem linked.
BystanderJust passing by. Minds its own business, so it can't fake a link.
InstrumentThe naughty friend with a slingshot. It never does anything itself: it eggs the treatment on.
NoiseCan't sit still. Jiggles the outcome about, so it's hard to read.
New · Causal Blocks Kids
Playing with kids?
Does opening an umbrella make it rain? Do lucky socks win matches? Is ice cream to blame for shark attacks? Causal Blocks Kids teaches the same skills with everyday puzzles, made for ages 8 and up. Play it together: it starts with Biscuit the dog, and the post.
Play Causal Blocks KidsWhat you didn't learn at school
Causal Blocks teaches the difference between correlation and causation by having you draw it: causal diagrams, confounders, mediators, colliders, and why a fair comparison means controlling for the right things. Made for anyone 12 and up, from first-timers to grown-ups who never got taught it: the later levels use real research data.
- Read the essay ↗ A real case: do small towns really educate children better?
- See the code ↗ Open source. The game uses the same method as DoWhy, a real research library, and is tested against it.
- Get in touch Playing it, or using it in class? I'd love to hear how.