The article "Natural Experiments: Missed Opportunities for Causal Inference in Psychology" by Michael P. Grosz et al. discusses the importance of causal effects in psychological research and the limitations of randomized experiments. Randomized experiments are ideal for causal inference but are often unethical or unfeasible. Observational studies lack the random assignment that makes randomized experiments informative, but they also have limitations. Natural experiments, which occur naturally and provide as-if random assignment, offer a valuable alternative. The authors describe three main types of natural experiments: standard natural experiments, instrumental-variable designs, and regression-discontinuity designs. They provide examples from psychology and economics to illustrate how these designs can be used. Despite their potential, natural experiments are underutilized in psychology, possibly due to cultural differences in research practices. The authors argue that natural experiments can be particularly useful when randomized experiments are not feasible or generalizable. They highlight the challenges and assumptions associated with natural experiments and emphasize the need for psychologists to explore these methods more widely.The article "Natural Experiments: Missed Opportunities for Causal Inference in Psychology" by Michael P. Grosz et al. discusses the importance of causal effects in psychological research and the limitations of randomized experiments. Randomized experiments are ideal for causal inference but are often unethical or unfeasible. Observational studies lack the random assignment that makes randomized experiments informative, but they also have limitations. Natural experiments, which occur naturally and provide as-if random assignment, offer a valuable alternative. The authors describe three main types of natural experiments: standard natural experiments, instrumental-variable designs, and regression-discontinuity designs. They provide examples from psychology and economics to illustrate how these designs can be used. Despite their potential, natural experiments are underutilized in psychology, possibly due to cultural differences in research practices. The authors argue that natural experiments can be particularly useful when randomized experiments are not feasible or generalizable. They highlight the challenges and assumptions associated with natural experiments and emphasize the need for psychologists to explore these methods more widely.