A statistics professor wants to test whether completing her course increases students' critical thinking skills. She gives students a pretest measuring these skills on the first day of class. The test is repeated on the last day of class; she finds students' scores are higher at the end of the term. Which of the following is a potential confound?
A) testing
B) maturation
C) history
D) a and b, but not c

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Testing and maturation are potential confounds. Testing could affect outcomes because taking the test a second time might improve scores due to familiarity with the test format or specific questions. Maturation refers to the natural development over time, which could also account for improved scores, independent of the course's impact.

A Statistics Professor Wants to Test Whether Completing Her Course