An experiment was conducted and the results involving the effect of a particular experimental variable were widely reported.Later,a critic commented that,in fact,nothing could be usefully learned from the study because the observed effect was confounded.What did the critic mean by this?
A)The experimenter really wasn't clear about what was desired,so the experiment was not well defined.
B)The results were so badly described that the critic could not figure out exactly what was being concluded.
C)The critic felt there was confusion as to whether or not the study was an observational study or a real experiment.
D)Because of the way the experiment was conducted,the effect observed in the experiment,ascribed to a particular variable,was mixed up with other influences.
E)Without knowing more about the experiment,we can't know exactly what the critic meant by this.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Confounding occurs when the effect of one variable on the outcome of interest cannot be distinguished from the effects of other variables. In this case, the observed effect was mixed up with other influences, making it impossible to draw meaningful conclusions about the effect of the experimental variable.

An Experiment Was Conducted and the Results Involving the Effect