---
title: "Categorical affects Categorical"
slug: "categorical-affects-categorical"
updated: 2022-06-28T18:32:41Z
published: 2022-06-28T18:32:41Z
canonical: "userguide.dataclassroom.com/categorical-affects-categorical"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://userguide.dataclassroom.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Categorical affects Categorical

A categorical variable can affect another by **overriding** its otherwise-defined (default) distribution.

In this example, we have the variable **Sex** affecting the distribution of **Handedness** (as in left- or right-handed). More males are left-handed than females.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/image-1656096496336.png)

The simulation will operate by first generating the values of the first variable in the "chain of effects" - here it is Sex - and then generating the Handedness, depending on the value of Sex assigned to each sample.

![](https://cdn.document360.io/62f8f41e-e041-42c4-b9bc-8ae1eb45d064/Images/Documentation/image-1656096868046.png)

It's important to note that this relationship could have been defined in the **reverse direction**.