A researcher studying support for international institutions finds that Democrats are more likely to support such institutions than are Republicans. When she controls for income, she finds no difference between Republicans and Democrats on support for international institutions. This is an example of a(n) ______.
A) additive effect
B) spurious effect
C) interactive effect
D) partial effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of a spurious effect, where the relationship between political affiliation and support for international institutions disappears once income is taken into account. In other words, the apparent relationship between political affiliation and support for international institutions was not a real relationship, but rather a result of income being a confounding variable.

A Researcher Studying Support for International Institutions Finds That Democrats