Implied Causality in Charts: A General Framework

This article expands on a previous post about implied causality in line charts, exploring how various chart types—bar charts, scatter plots, and maps—can misleadingly suggest causal relationships. The author highlights how simple comparisons, before-and-after contrasts, or spatial proximity can create a false sense of causality. Four key patterns of implied causality are identified: factor, event, covariation, and proximity. The article emphasizes the need for critical analysis of visualizations to avoid being misled by spurious correlations.