Which factor is most likely to be a mediating variable in a study to determine if high doses of vitamin C help reduce the subjects' susceptibility to influenza?
A) The subjects' use of influenza vaccine
B) The subject' knowledge of vitamin C's functions
C) The gender of the potential subjects
D) The marital status of the potential subjects

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A mediating variable is a variable that explains the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. In this case, the independent variable is the high dose of vitamin C and the dependent variable is the susceptibility to influenza.
The use of influenza vaccine could be a mediating variable because it is a known preventative measure against the flu. If a subject is already vaccinated, their susceptibility to influenza may be reduced regardless of their intake of vitamin C. Therefore, it could be important to control for this variable in the study to determine if high doses of vitamin C have a significant impact on susceptibility to influenza.
The subject's knowledge of vitamin C's functions, as well as their gender or marital status, are unlikely to have a direct impact on their susceptibility to influenza, and therefore would not be mediating variables in this study.

Which Factor Is Most Likely to Be a Mediating Variable