Dr. Gong conducts a study where she randomly assigns participants to different experimental conditions. The testing for each condition occurs in a different room of the psychology building. After collecting her data, she learns that the air conditioning in one of the rooms had been turned off during data collection. Which of the following threats to internal validity should Dr. Gong be concerned with?
A)Design confound
B)Selection effect
C)Order effect
D)Maturation effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A design confound occurs when a second variable unintentionally varies systematically along with the independent variable. In this case, the temperature in one room (due to the air conditioning being off) could have affected the participants' performance or responses, thus acting as an unintended second variable that varies across conditions. This threatens the study's internal validity by introducing an alternative explanation for any observed effects.

Dr Gong Conducts a Study Where She Randomly Assigns Participants