What does the third-variable problem indicate?
A)The three variables are all causally related to one another;each is a cause of the others.
B)The correlation between any two of the variables must be established before another correlation can be computed.
C)Two of the variables are correlated with each other only because each is causally related to a third variable.
D)Changes in one variable are producing changes in another variable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The third-variable problem indicates that two variables may appear to be correlated, but the correlation may actually be due to a third variable that is causing both of them. This means that the correlation between the two variables is spurious, and does not represent a true causal relationship. Option C is the only choice that accurately describes this problem. Options A, B, and D do not accurately describe the third-variable problem.

What Does the Third-Variable Problem Indicate