{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,27]],"date-time":"2026-03-27T00:39:48Z","timestamp":1774571988722,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":14,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,25]],"date-time":"2025-06-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750809600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Wicked problems defy simple solutions. From climate change to mass shootings, their causes are not singular but systemic, interconnected, and often politicized. Yet in both public discourse and policy design, one-cause and root-cause thinking continue to dominate. This paper introduces Webs of Causality (WoC) and Connect-the-Dots (CtD) thinking as cognitively grounded, empirically supported frameworks for understanding and addressing wicked problems. Drawing on four complementary studies\u2014including experimental interventions, national surveys, and systematic literature reviews\u2014we demonstrate: (1) the persistent human tendency to select and politicize a single cause from a known WoC, and (2) the effectiveness of six DSRP-based cognitive moves in improving causal reasoning and solution design. Together, these studies validate a new cognitive protocol for mapping complex problems and designing systemic, simultaneous interventions. We argue for a paradigm shift in policy and education\u2014away from partial, politicized solutions and toward comprehensive, coordinated responses that reflect the real-world complexity of the problems we face.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems13070510","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,26]],"date-time":"2025-06-26T05:53:13Z","timestamp":1750917193000},"page":"510","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["From One Cause to Webs of Causality"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3981-1110","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Derek","family":"Cabrera","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA"},{"name":"Cabrera Research Lab, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Cabrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brooks School of Public Policy, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA"},{"name":"Cabrera Research Lab, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"272","article-title":"Wicked Problems","volume":"26","author":"Rittel","year":"1974","journal-title":"Man-Made Futures"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"155","DOI":"10.1007\/BF01405730","article-title":"Dilemmas in a general theory of planning","volume":"4","author":"Rittel","year":"1973","journal-title":"Policy Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cabrera, D., Cabrera, L., and Cabrera, E. (2022). The \u201cFish Tank\u201d Experiments: Metacognitive Awareness of Distinctions, Systems, Relationships, and Perspectives (DSRP) Significantly Increases Cognitive Complexity. Systems, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/systems10020029"},{"key":"ref_4","first-page":"1","article-title":"Framework Effectiveness and Prevalence in Public Policy: A survey of the field and a discussion of the need for an agent-based systems approach","volume":"2","author":"Wen","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Syst. Think."},{"key":"ref_5","first-page":"1","article-title":"Wicked Solutions for Wicked Problems: Misalignment in Public Policy","volume":"3","author":"Steinhall","year":"2023","journal-title":"J. Syst. Think."},{"key":"ref_6","first-page":"1","article-title":"New Hope for policy schools: Examining systems thinking solutions to improve policy education","volume":"4","author":"Aljrarri","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Syst. Think."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cabrera, D., Cabrera, L., and Cabrera, E. (2022). Distinctions Organize Information in Mind and Nature: Empirical Findings of Identity\u2013Other Distinctions (D) in Cognitive and Material Complexity. Systems, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/systems10020041"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cabrera, D., Cabrera, L., and Cabrera, E. (2022). Systems Organize Information in Mind and Nature: Empirical Findings of Part-Whole Systems (S) in Cognitive and Material Complexity. Systems, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/systems10020044"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cabrera, D., Cabrera, L., and Cabrera, E. (2022). Relationships Organize Information in Mind and Nature: Empirical Findings of Action-Reaction Relationships (R) in Cognitive and Material Complexity. Systems, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/systems10030071"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cabrera, D., Cabrera, L., and Cabrera, E. (2022). Perspectives Organize Information in Mind and Nature: Empirical Findings of Point-View Perspective (P) in Cognitive and Material Complexity. Systems, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/systems10030052"},{"key":"ref_11","unstructured":"Peterson, J., and Densley, J. (2025, February 01). The Violence Project: How to Stop a Mass Shooting Epidemic. Abrams. Available online: https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/books\/details?id=cLsdEAAAQBAJ."},{"key":"ref_12","unstructured":"Means, C. (2024). Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health, Avery Publishing Group."},{"key":"ref_13","unstructured":"Attia, P. (2025, February 01). The Straight Dope on Cholesterol\u2014Part V. Available online: https:\/\/peterattiamd.com\/the-straight-dope-on-cholesterol-part-v\/."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Cabrera, D. (2024). The 12 Gets, Cabrera Research Lab.","DOI":"10.18103\/mra.v12i8.5552"}],"container-title":["Systems"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-8954\/13\/7\/510\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T17:58:22Z","timestamp":1760032702000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2079-8954\/13\/7\/510"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,25]]},"references-count":14,"journal-issue":{"issue":"7","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7]]}},"alternative-id":["systems13070510"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/systems13070510","relation":{},"ISSN":["2079-8954"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2079-8954","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,25]]}}}