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natural experiment
natural experiment A natural experiment is a research design that compares people or groups living in different real-world conditions that are not assigned by the researchers, in order to study how those contrasting environments relate to outcomes.
A natural experiment is a research design that compares people or groups living in different real-world conditions that are not assigned by the researchers, in order to study how those contrasting environments relate to outcomes. It is used to strengthen causal inference when stable, long-term differences in exposure help establish that exposure came before the measured effect.