Age and experience are confounded while using the cross-sectional design. This means that it cannot be determined if
A) findings for cohort groups are due to their similar experiences or similar age.
B) findings are due to the fact that age and life experience tend to be correlated.
C) differences across groups are due to differences in assignment to the treatment conditions.
D) differences across groups are due to age, experience, or the experimental manipulation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

With cross-sectional designs, it is not possible to isolate whether the differences between cohort groups are due to their age or their experiences. This is because age and experience are confounded, meaning that they tend to be correlated with each other. As such, it is difficult to determine the cause of any group differences observed using this type of design.

Age and Experience Are Confounded While Using the Cross-Sectional Design