Evidence-appraisal glossary
Potential Outcomes Framework
A way of defining causal effects as the comparison between the outcome a person would have under one treatment and the outcome the same person would have under another. Because only one can ever be observed, the other is a counterfactual.
Also called: Rubin causal model, potential outcomes.
The potential outcomes framework, also called the Rubin causal model, frames every causal question as a contrast of outcomes under different treatments for the same unit. The fundamental problem of causal inference is that we never see both outcomes for one person, so causal effects must be estimated across groups made comparable by design or by adjustment. This framework underlies most modern methods, from randomization to propensity scores.
This is a plain-language methodology definition for reading research. It is general education, not medical advice.