Question

Dr. Thompson researches gang-related crime in a large city. She notices more graffiti appears when there are more ice cream trucks in town. She does a study that measures the frequency of new graffiti being reported and ice cream truck sales for each week over a year. She finds a positive association between ice cream truck sales and graffiti and concludes the ice cream trucks are encouraging graffiti. Her colleague, Dr. Richardson, points out that both ice cream sales and graffiti might be influenced by rising temperatures during the summer. Which kind of problem has Dr. Richardson identified?

Answer 1

Answer:

A third variable problem

Explanation:

Third variables are variables that the researcher failed to control, or eliminate, damaging the internal validity of an experiment. it is a type of confounding in which a third variable leads to a mistaken causal relationship between two others. As it relates to Dr. Thompsons research,  the frequency of new graffiti being reported and and ice cream truck sales are the two variables that relates to gang related crimes in a large city. The rising temperature during the summer is the third variable which damages the internal validity of the experiment.

Answer 2

Answer: A third variable problem

Explanation: A third variable problem is said to exist if an observed correlation between variables aren't caused by any sort of causal relationship between both variables but rater due to an relationship which exist between each of the variable in the experiment and another variable which isn't part of the study. The Third variable in the context above as discovered by Dr. Richardson is temperature, whereby rising temperature affects eac of the variables in the earlier experiment, hence, leading to th me perceived relationship between them.