What is a confounding variable examples?
For example, if you are researching whether a lack of exercise has an effect on weight gain, the lack of exercise is the independent variable and weight gain is the dependent variable. A confounding variable would be any other influence that has an effect on weight gain.
What is a confounding variable in a study?
Confounding variables are those that affect other variables in a way that produces spurious or distorted associations between two variables. They confound the "true" relationship between two variables.
What is confounding in simple terms?
Confounding means the distortion of the association between the independent and dependent variables because a third variable is independently associated with both. A causal relationship between two variables is often described as the way in which the independent variable affects the dependent variable.
How do you identify a confounding variable?
A simple, direct way to determine whether a given risk factor caused confounding is to compare the estimated measure of association before and after adjusting for confounding. In other words, compute the measure of association both before and after adjusting for a potential confounding factor.
What is a confound in an experimental study quizlet?
What is a "confound" in an experimental study? an extra variable that could explain result differences between groups.
Can variables be confounded in an experiment?
For example, suppose researchers want to understand the effect that a new diet has on weight less. The independent variable is the new diet and the dependent variable is the amount of weight loss. What is this? However, a confounding variable that will likely cause variation in weight loss is gender.
When confounds are present in an experiment?
If other variables differ between control and experimental groups, then the other variables are said to be confounds (i.e., variables that might influence the dependent variable and thereby negate the ability to make a cause-effect conclusion).
What is a confound quizlet?
1 Review. Confounding: basic definition. A mixing of effects between the exposure, the outcome and a third extraneous variable known as a confounder.
What is a confound variable quizlet?
A confounding variable is an explanatory variable that was considered in a study whose effect cannot be distinguished from a second explanatory variable in the study.
How might confounding affect the results of an experiment?
In a research study, a confounding variable can change the outcome of an experiment, as an external variable, the third factor can transform both independent and dependent variables in a research and thus affecting outcomes of correlational or experimental research.
Is the experimenter effect a confounding variable?
Experimenter bias is another confound that can also affect the results of an experiment. Experimenter bias happens when the experimenter's expectations influence the outcomes of the study.
What is the purpose of confounding variables?
A confounding variable (confounder) is a factor other than the one being studied that is associated both with the disease (dependent variable) and with the factor being studied (independent variable). A confounding variable may distort or mask the effects of another variable on the disease in question.
How do confounders affect a study?
Confounding, interaction and effect modification. Confounding involves the possibility that an observed association is due, totally or in part, to the effects of differences between the study groups (other than the exposure under investigation) that could affect their risk of developing the outcome being studied.
What are the 3 criteria for a confounding?
In order for a variable to be a potential confounder, it needs to have the following three properties: (1) the variable must have an association with the disease, that is, it should be a risk factor for the disease; (2) it must be associated with the exposure, that is, it must be unequally distributed between the …
How do you control for confounding variables in an experiment?
There are several methods you can use to decrease the impact of confounding variables on your research: restriction, matching, statistical control and randomization. In restriction, you restrict your sample by only including certain subjects that have the same values of potential confounding variables.
Is confounding the same as bias?
Confounding can produce either a type 1 or a type 2 error, but we usually focus on type 1 errors. Bias creates an association that is not true, but confounding describes an association that is true, but potentially misleading.
What is an effect of confounding variables in an experiment?
A confounding variable is a third variable that influences both the independent and dependent variables. Failing to account for confounding variables can cause you to wrongly estimate the relationship between your independent and dependent variables.
How confounding affect a study?
Confounding involves the possibility that an observed association is due, totally or in part, to the effects of differences between the study groups (other than the exposure under investigation) that could affect their risk of developing the outcome being studied.
What kind of error is confounding?
Confounding is one type of systematic error that can occur in epidemiologic studies. Other types of systematic error such as information bias or selection bias are discussed in other ERIC notebook issues.
What are common confounders?
Common confounders are attributes of the participants; for example, body mass index, smoking status, age at onset of illness, socioeconomic status, educational status, and extent of support network. Life events are also potential confounders.
How do confounding variables affect a research study?
A confounding variable, in simple terms, refers to a variable that is not accounted for in an experiment. It acts as an external influence that can swiftly change the effect of both dependent and independent research variables; often producing results that differ extremely from what is the case.