Cognitive Scaffold

Preparing your thinking workspace

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MENTAL MODEL · M1372

Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc

Cum Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc
StructureHigh supportLogic
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Version 1.0.0 · Updated 2026-07-30

CORE DEFINITION

Latin for 'with this, therefore because of this'. It refers to the fallacy of concluding that because two events occur together, one causes the other (e.g., increased ice cream sales cause an increase in drownings).

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

psychology

Reduce cognitive load

Distinguishing correlation from causation. This is a more formal expression of 'correlation does not equal causation'. It reminds us to look for a 'third variable' (e.g., summer arrives, causing both ice cream sales and drownings to increase).

anchor

Anchor fast decisions

The cum hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy mistakes temporal/statistical co-occurrence for causation.

MINIMUM ACTION

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causationZH · Explicit
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