A researcher conducts an experiment in which she wants to look at the effects of class size on learning.To do this she randomly allocates people to two conditions: in Condition 1 people learn information in a small classroom with 4 other people, in Condition 2 people learn information in a large classroom with another 29 people.Which of the following is a potential confound, threatening the internal validity of the study?
A)The reliability of the test used to assess learning.
B)The size of the classroom in which the people learn.
C)The susceptibility of participants' in Condition 1 agoraphobia.
D)The susceptibility of participants' in Condition 2 agoraphobia.
E)The age of people in the two conditions.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The size of the classroom in which the people learn is a potential confound because it is the independent variable being manipulated in the study. The researcher wants to look at the effects of class size on learning, but if the classroom size is confounded with other variables such as the quality of teaching or resources available, then the study's internal validity is threatened. The other options do not relate to the independent variable being manipulated or the potential for confounding variables.

A Researcher Conducts an Experiment in Which She Wants to Look