title: Coherence in observational studies.
abstract: It is often said that the coherence of an association between a treatment and outcomes is important in judging whether the association is causal. An attempt is made to quantify the evidence provided by a coherent association. This is done in two steps. First, a test is developed to detect a coherent association. The test is a generalization of the tests of Mann and Whitney, Wilcoxon, and Gehan. Second, the sensitivity of the test to hidden bias is examined. The question is whether a coherent pattern of associations implies less sensitivity to hidden biases. An example is considered in detail.
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104-6302.
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Rosenbaum
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001699:Biometry; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D025063:Chromosome Disorders; D004032:Diet; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D008433:Mathematics; D008767:Methylmercury Compounds / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D008767:Methylmercury Compounds