Understanding Confounding Variables in Experiments: A Case Study on Horse Theft, Study notes of Object Oriented Programming

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Variables and conditions

Page 38







Confounding

variables

• The researcher doesn’t

control for these andthey affect the results ofthe experiment.

• Example is seen in the

movie,

Guns of the

Magnificent Seven

http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/movie/coverv/56/222756.jpg

Catching a thief

• A man is accused of stealing

a horse, but claims he isinnocent

• The town decides to put the

suspect on one side of townwith the man claiming to beowner on the other.

http://www.thecolumnists.com/miller/miller404art2.jpg

The experimental results

• The horse is thirsty.• Next to the horse thief is a water trough.• Both men call the horse by name, but…• The horse goes by the man near the

trough, rather than to his owner.

Confounding variable

• The

confounding

variable

is that the

horse is thirsty and thewater trough is by thethief.

• The town didn’t “control”

for thirst of the horse, sothat factor changed theresults.

http://africanorphanage.com/horse%202.jpg

Practice in Identifying Variables• With your partner identify the hypothesis,

control group, experimental group andvariables in each example.

• On side one cross out 4c• On sides two-three cross out 1a, 2a, 3a,

4c and 5c

Name that method (on side 4)

• Determine whether the research is

experimental or correlational

• Do not do no. 3• If it’s experimental: identify the

independent and dependent variables

• If it’s a correlation: identify the variables• SEE PAGES 38-39 FOR BACKGROUND,

PARTICULARLY TABLE 1.