Confounding variables are common in research and can affect the outcome of your study. This is because the external influence from the confounding variable or third factor can ruin your research outcome and produce useless results by suggesting a non-existent connection between variables .
How do confounding variables affect validity?
The less chance there is for “confounding” in a study, the higher the internal validity and the more confident we can be in the findings. Confounding refers to a situation in which other factors come into play that confuses the outcome of a study.
Why do confounding variables threaten the validity of a research study?
A confounding variable is an extraneous variable that obscures the true relation between two other variables or groups of interest. ... It hinders the ability to infer a causal relation between the variables and can lead to misattributing a causal effect to the independent variable (a threat to internal validity).
Do confounding variables affect internal validity?
It is related to how many confounding variables you have in your experiment. If you run an experiment and avoid confounding variables, your internal validity is high ; the more confounding you have, the lower your internal validity.
How does confounding impact study results?
The effects of confounding can result in: * An observed difference between study populations when no real difference exists . * No observed difference between study populations when a true association does exist. * An underestimate of an effect.
How do you get rid of confounding variables?
There are several methods you can use to decrease the impact of confounding variables on your research: restriction, matching, statistical control and randomization . In restriction, you restrict your sample by only including certain subjects that have the same values of potential confounding variables.
What problems can confounding variables cause?
What problems can confounding variables cause? They can cause the study to favor certain results unexpectedly . They can cause incorrect conclusions to be drawn from the study.
What improves internal validity?
Controls are required to assure internal validity (causality) of research designs, and can be accomplished in four ways: (1) manipulation, (2) elimination , (3) inclusion, and (4) statistical control, and (5) randomization.
Can confounding variables be controlled?
A Confounder is a variable whose presence affects the variables being studied so that the results do not reflect the actual relationship. There are various ways to exclude or control confounding variables including Randomization, Restriction and Matching .
What can affect internal validity?
The validity of your experiment depends on your experimental design. What are threats to internal validity? There are eight threats to internal validity: history, maturation, instrumentation, testing, selection bias, regression to the mean, social interaction and attrition .
How do you know if confounding is present?
In other words, compute the measure of association both before and after adjusting for a potential confounding factor. If the difference between the two measures of association is 10% or more, then confounding was present . If it is less than 10%, then there was little, if any, confounding.
Why does confounding occur?
Confounding occurs when the experimental controls do not allow the experimenter to reasonably eliminate plausible alternative explanations for an observed relationship between independent and dependent variables . ... As a result, many variables are confounded, and it is impossible to say whether the drug was effective.
What is confounding in a study?
What is confounding? Confounding is often referred to as a “mixing of effects” 1 , 2 wherein the effects of the exposure under study on a given outcome are mixed in with the effects of an additional factor (or set of factors) resulting in a distortion of the true relationship .
How do you stop a confounding variable?
- randomization (aim is random distribution of confounders between study groups)
- restriction (restrict entry to study of individuals with confounding factors – risks bias in itself)
- matching (of individuals or groups, aim for equal distribution of confounders)
Is gender a confounding variable?
Hence, due to the relation between age and gender, stratification by age resulted in an uneven distribution of gender among the exposure groups within age strata. As a result, gender is likely to be considered a confounding variable within strata of young and old subjects .
