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?
