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WS4: The Need for Causal Inference Methods in Indoor Environmental Quality Research
Time:
Monday, 13/June/2022:
10:30am - 12:00pm
Session Chair: Donna Vakalis
Location:MS306
Session Abstract
BACKGROUND
Having a toolkit for causal reasoning is of practical importance whether researching or practising in the fields of building design and operation. A causal lens is often implicitly or explicitly used to explain a human response in terms of indoor environmental factors. The adjacent field of environmental health is going through a methodologic revolution rooted in statistical causal inference methods; our own field could benefit from a timely, open, and inter-disciplinary discussion: how do we see reasoning about causal questions evolving in our own field?
AIMS AND SCOPE
The workshop will strengthen causal critical thinking among researchers and practitioners, then lead attendees into an interactive session.
• Part 1 briefly overviews the philosophical background of the concept of causality.
• Part 2 teaches attendees how to differentiate between causal and non-causal study frameworks, with examples from observational studies in the field of IEQ.
• Part 3 presents a series of provocative statements for participants to express themselves in a pro/con vote, with a facilitated discussion.
Our aim is to build capacity and spur informed discourse, to ultimately improve the answers we seek to complex questions related to indoor exposures and occupant outcomes of interest.
PRESENTATIONS
The causal mode of reasoning, history and context
Ardeshir Mahdavi
Causal Inference: Considerations for Study Design and Study Analysis
Sandra Dedesko and Donna Vakalis
Open Interdisciplinary Discussion
Marcel Schweiker
Presentations
ID: 690 Workshops Topics: 2. Mechanisms for health outcomes, 13b. Others - Special applications Keywords: causality, associations, DAG, causal effect, counterfactual
The Need for Causal Inference Methods in Indoor Environmental Quality Research
Chair(s): Donna Vakalis (Building Decisions Research Group, UBC)
Presenter(s): Sandra Dedesko (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health), Ardeshir Mahdavi (Building Physics and Building Ecology at TU Wien, Austria), Marcel Schweiker (Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University)
