A researcher designs a study to determine whether female preschoolers prefer sweetened or unsweetened cereal.The researcher uses a box of sweetened colorful cereal and a box of unsweetened tan colored cereal.The research finds that the group of preschoolers ate more of the sweetened colorful cereal and therefore prefers the sweetened cereal.Which two variables are confounded in this experiment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The variables of color of the cereal and sweetness of the cereal are confounded in this experiment. The researcher did not control for the effects of color on the children's preferences, so it is unclear if the preschoolers preferred the sweetened cereal because it was sweeter or because it was more colorful. A more controlled experiment would use two cereals that are exactly the same except for the level of sweetness, and would present them in identical containers to control for color effects.

A Researcher Designs a Study to Determine Whether Female Preschoolers