Experimental Designs

The Unit 9 Assignment involves identifying different sources of error/bias, how they can affect study results and the conclusions that can be drawn, and ways to work around them.

Assignment Directions

Using the Unit 9 Assignment Template, please respond to the following:

Identify the source of error/bias in each scenario and the best way to work around it, and then respond to the associated question for each scenario.
A common error that people make is interpreting causation from correlation. For example, when X and Y are correlated, people might assume that X causes Y, when there are actually three possibilities. Identify the three different ways that a correlation between X and Y could be interpreted.
Define a confounding variable.
What are the three different ways that a correlation between time spent outdoors and happiness could be interpreted?

What is a possible confounding variable affecting the relationship between time spent outdoors and happiness?

A researcher finds a correlation between smoking cigarettes and stress. What are three different ways that this could be interpreted?

What is a possible confounding variable affecting the relationship between cigarettes and stress?