Error variance
A)reflects that researchers were not sufficiently careful in designing a study.
B)equals the sum of the systematic and total variance.
C)must be eliminated entirely for the results of a study to be valid.
D)can obscure the effects of the variables of interest to a researcher.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Error variance refers to the variation in a set of scores that is not attributable to the variables of interest in a study. It can obscure the effects of these variables because it adds noise to the data, making it harder to detect true patterns or effects. Error variance does not imply a lack of care in study design (A), it does not equal the sum of systematic and total variance (B), and it is not necessary to eliminate it entirely for a study to be valid, though minimizing it is desirable (C).

Error Variance