The use of a hypothetical generative model was been suggested for causal analysis of observational data. The very assumption of a particular model is a commitment to a certain set of variables and therefore to a certain set of possible causes. Estimating the joint probability distribution of can be useful for predicting values of variables in view of the observed values of others, but it is not sufficient for inferring causal relationships. The model describes a single observable distribution and cannot a chain of effects of intervention that deviate from the observed distribution.

翻译：假设性生成模型已被建议用于观测数据的因果分析。采用特定模型这一假设本身就意味着对一组特定变量的承诺，从而也意味着对一组特定可能原因的承诺。估计联合概率分布有助于根据其他变量的观测值预测变量值，但这不足以推断因果关系。该模型描述的是单一的可观测分布，无法刻画偏离可观测分布的干预效应链。