In a study of American cities, Professor Smith finds a strong positive correlation between the number of preschools and the numb
er of bars. What is the most likely explanation of this relationship? a. People who regularly frequent bars often meet their life partner and procreate. b. Parents of small children need to take an occasional break. c. The relationship is likely due to a third variable, population size. d. Confounding variables explain the relationship.
c. The relationship is likely due to a third variable, population size.
Explanation:
Third variable: In research, the term third variable is also referred to as a confounding variable, or a mediator variable and is defined as a variable that influences or hinder a dependent variable as well as an independent variable. When a researcher is conducting a particular research, then it might be possible for him or her to fail in controlling or unaware of the confounding variable that can cause the experimenter or the researcher to analyze or discover the incorrect results.
In the question above, the most suitable statement for the given relationship is that the relationship exists because of the presence of the third variable which is the population size.
