ecologic fallacy

e·co·log·i·c fal·la·cy

(ē'kō-loj'ik fal'ă-sē),

The bias that may occur because an association observed between variables at an aggregate level does not necessarily represent an association that exists at an individual level; an error of inference due to failure to distinguish between different levels of organization.

ecologic fallacy,

a false assumption that the presence of a pathogenic factor and a disease in a population can be accepted as proof that a particular individual is the cause of the disease.

References in periodicals archive ?

For example, the potential confounding due to the latency period and ecologic fallacy must be considered in interpretation.

Statistical methods for linking health, exposure, and hazards

It is well known that such studies are very susceptible to the ecologic fallacy.

The ecologic fallacy involves drawing wrong conclusions on individual-level associations between exposure and disease from a study done at the population level.