The school newspaper reports that the GPA of athletes is slightly higher than the GPA of undergraduates in general.Suppose you want to use these data to argue that athletes are smarter than the average student.Someone else points out that intelligence ("smartness") is only one of several factors influencing GPA; others are self-discipline, tutoring, pressure from coaches, required class attendance, and so on.Each of these latter factors is a potential ____ in any simple explanation of GPA.
A) exogenous variable
B) moderator variable
C) placebo
D) confounding variable
E) discriminant variable

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A confounding variable is a variable that is not the main focus of a study but influences the relationship between the variables of interest. In this case, factors such as self-discipline, tutoring, and pressure from coaches may be influencing the relationship between being an athlete and having a higher GPA. Therefore, the claim that athletes are smarter than the average student may be oversimplifying the complex relationship between GPA and various factors influencing it.

The School Newspaper Reports That the GPA of Athletes Is