Multiple Causation A

How have you become as successful a student as you are? Is it because you are just naturally smart? Are you good at taking notes? Did your parents pay

for tutors when you were younger (or currently)?

Whatever reasons you have identified, what you may have discovered is that this is no simple question. Any given effect or outcome (in this case,

successful student) may be, and usually is the result of several causes operating together. Within multiple causations, there are two ways that causes

can exert their influence.

Linear Combination

In linear combination, the effect or outcome can theoretically be explained by just one of the causes, in other words, only one cause is sufficient to

achieve the outcome or effect.

Non-linear Combination

In this case, the outcome cannot be adequately explained by just one of the causes; at least two causes must be considered in explaining the

effect.