Necessary and Sufficient Condition Analysis

Tests whether a condition is both necessary and sufficient for an outcome, that is, whether the outcome cannot be reached without the condition and is guaranteed in its presence. Such a claim implies that two diagonally opposite corners of the condition-outcome scatter plot contain no observations. The package estimates both boundaries with the same data, scope and frontier technique, reports the effect size and permutation test of each, and indicates joint support only when both components are supported. The two components are summarized by the weaker effect, a balanced combination and the proportion of the scope that the two claims jointly rule out. A dual-threshold table gives, for each outcome level, the condition level it requires, the level sufficient for it, and the interval between them. Results can be compared with regression slopes. The package also provides plots, influential-case diagnostics, scope-sensitivity and resampling checks, and simulation and power analysis for planning studies. The two sides are estimated with the 'NCA' and 'SCAtools' packages.

NSCA

Necessary and Sufficient Condition Analysis (NSCA) in R.

What the method is

A condition is necessary for an outcome when the outcome does not occur without it, and sufficient when the presence of the condition guarantees the outcome. A condition that is both necessary and sufficient defines a dividing line at each level of the outcome: below the line, that level cannot be reached; above it, that level is guaranteed.

Each half of this claim implies a specific prediction about the data. When the condition X is plotted against the outcome Y, necessity implies that one corner of the scatter plot is empty, and sufficiency implies that the diagonally opposite corner is empty. For the claim "high X is necessary and sufficient for high Y", there should be no cases with low X and high Y (upper-left) and none with high X and low Y (lower-right).

NSCA estimates both empty corners from the same data, with the same scope and the same frontier technique. It measures each corner, tests each against random pairing of X and Y, and assesses the two jointly. The band between the two frontiers is the admissible region, the set of combinations that neither claim rules out. The narrower this region, the closer the relationship is to a strict necessary-and-sufficient relationship.

What it is for

• Testing claims that a condition is both required and sufficient. Many theories describe a condition as a prerequisite that, once met, also brings about the outcome. NSCA tests both components on the same data and reports joint support only when each component is supported.
• Locating the dividing line. For each outcome level, the dual-threshold table reports the X level that the outcome requires, the X level that guarantees it, and the interval between them, in which the outcome is possible but not guaranteed.
• Assessing how closely the relationship approximates a necessary-and-sufficient one. The joint table reports the effect size of each component and three joint summaries of the two.
• Complementing regression analysis. nsca_compare() reports the regression slope beside both effect sizes, so that a study can indicate whether the data display an average effect, a condition effect, or both.
• Planning a study. nsca_power() estimates the number of observations needed to detect both components.

Installation

install.packages("NSCA")

This also installs NCA, which estimates the necessity side, and SCAtools, which estimates the sufficiency side.

How to use it

library(NSCA)

# Simulated data lying in a band, so both corners are empty
set.seed(1)
dat <- nsca_random(n = 100, d_nec = 0.3, d_suf = 0.3)

# 1. Fit the claim "high X is necessary and sufficient for high Y"
fit <- nsca_analysis(dat, x = "X", y = "Y", direction = "HH",
                     test.rep = 1000)
fit                     # all three layers, with every setting the result rests on

# 2. Read the results
nsca_results(fit)       # the necessity, sufficiency and joint tables
nsca_table(fit)         # the joint table and the joint-support decision
nsca_thresholds(fit)    # required level, guaranteeing level and the interval
nsca_plot(fit)          # both frontiers and the admissible region

# 3. Set it beside regression
nsca_compare(fit)

nsca() runs the same analysis, including the permutation tests, and draws the plot in one step. nsca_output() prints the tables and draws the plots typically needed for a report:

nsca(dat, x = "X", y = "Y", direction = "HH")
nsca_output(fit, thresholds = TRUE, tests = TRUE)

Checking the result

Reading the results

The two components. d_nec and d_suf are the empty areas as proportions of the scope, ranging from 0 to 1. d_nec_null and d_suf_null, reported beside them, are the values that random pairing of the same data produces. d_nec_critical and d_suf_critical are the values that random pairing exceeds only 5% of the time, that is, the critical values of the two components in a single test. When several conditions are analyzed, nsca_table(fit, p.adjust = "holm") adjusts the p-values for multiple testing; the critical values remain single-test reference lines.

Three joint summaries.

nsca_joint() computes the full family of summaries between these, from no compensation between the components to full compensation.

The p-values. Each p-value addresses a different question, and joint_support uses the first:

p_nsca_iut is significant only when both component tests reject, so combining them requires no correction. The other two require shared.test.rep, which applies the same shuffles to both sides. A single strongly empty corner may by itself make p_sum_perm small. We suggest choosing the p-value that addresses the research question before reading the results.

Joint support. joint_support is TRUE when both components are significant, both reach the relevance threshold if one was set with relevance =, and the two frontiers have an acceptable geometry. The individual flags beside it indicate which requirements each row meets.

Dual thresholds. For a high-X direction, each outcome level divides the X axis into three parts:

For a low-X direction, the inequalities are reversed. necessity_sufficiency_interval is the width of the middle part; threshold_status reports exact correspondence where this width is zero.

Good practice

• Choice of direction. We suggest choosing the direction on theoretical grounds and then inspecting a plot of the data. Each direction predicts one empty corner on each side, which assumes that the relationship is monotone.
• Reporting the scope. Every effect size is an area divided by the scope, so it is advisable to state whether the scope is the observed range or a theoretical one, and on what grounds. nsca_scope() and the printed Settings block record it.
• Reporting the frontier technique and the number of permutations. Both sides use the same technique; when several techniques are specified, each is reported in its own row. At least 1000 permutations are commonly used.
• Specifying a relevance threshold in advance. If a minimum effect size matters for the conclusion, it can be fixed before the analysis with relevance =.
• Calibrating the joint summaries to the design. Conventional bands are available for each component effect size (nsca_magnitude()); for the joint summaries, nsca_power() and nsca_resample() indicate which values the design can produce.

An ordinary least-squares or median regression line can be added with reference = "ols" or "qr". It is drawn for comparison and reported by nsca_reference(); it is not part of either component.

Learn more

• ?NSCA describes the method and lists its references.
• citation("NSCA") gives the references to cite.
• nsca_terms() lists the vocabulary used in the tables, and nsca_legacy_names() maps names used by earlier versions to the current ones.
• system.file("examples", "necessary-and-sufficient.R", package = "NSCA") provides a worked example.
• SCAtools, which NSCA uses for the sufficiency side, can also be used on its own for Sufficient Condition Analysis.

Source and issue tracker: https://github.com/youngchanresearcher/NSCA

The Traditional Chinese version of this README is installed with the package:

file.show(system.file("docs", "README_zh-TW.md", package = "NSCA"))