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MENTAL MODEL · M11120

Case-Control Method

Case-Control Method
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Updated 2026-08-13

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INTRODUCTION

English translation pending.

CORE DEFINITION

A case-control study selects people who already have an outcome of interest and a comparable group who do not, then compares their past exposures retrospectively. It is efficient for rare outcomes, because it starts from the outcome rather than waiting for cases to accumulate in a cohort. The qualification is that it establishes association rather than causation, and it is vulnerable to recall bias in exposure measurement and selection bias in choosing controls. The odds ratio is its standard measure of association.

SCAFFOLDING EFFECT

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- Backward inference: start from the outcome when the cause is unknown and the outcome is rare. - Control design: choose a comparison group that differs from the cases only in the outcome. - Bias audit: check whether exposure recall differs systematically between the two groups.

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Starting from the outcome concentrates scarce cases into the sample, so a rare outcome can be studied with far fewer participants than a cohort would require. Because exposure is measured after the outcome occurred, the design depends on participants recalling or having records of past exposure, which introduces systematic error when recall is influenced by the outcome itself.

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Source support: Explicit

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    en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case%E2%80%93control_studyZH · Explicit
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