How and why to focus on causality in teaching human physiology

<b>NEW & NOTEWORTHY</b> Essential to critical thinking skill development in human physiology students is a focus on the causal relationships between sequential elements of physiological processes. Causality is essential to our predictive abilities within complex systems. In essence, physiological sequences should be explained as a series of logical "triads" (stimulus causally linked to effect). This helps limit the short-term memory load, enhancing the storage of long-term memory and the formation of essential cognitive architecture required for critical thinking.