Dr. Guidry conducts a study examining the relationship between the number of friends one has and the experience of daily stress and life satisfaction. She randomly samples 1,500 elderly men and women in Nashville, Tennessee (the state capital), located in the southern United States. Below are her findings.
•Life satisfaction and experience of daily stress: r =.57 (p = .01)
•Number of friends one has and experience of daily stress: r = .09, not sig.
•Number of friends one has and life satisfaction: r = .36 (p = .04)
Dr) Guidry finds that the relationship between the number of friends one has and life satisfaction is stronger for men than for women. In this study, sex (male or female) is considered a(n):
A)outlier.
B)cause.
C)moderator.
D)spurious variable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sex is considered a moderator in this study because it affects the strength of the relationship between the number of friends and life satisfaction. Specifically, the relationship is stronger for men than for women. This suggests that sex is influencing the direction and/or magnitude of the relationship between these variables.

Dr Guidry Conducts a Study Examining the Relationship Between the Number