If a researcher hypothesizes that employment causes people to live longer,he or she may interpret an observed association between employment and number of years lived as evidence that supports his or her hypothesis.However,if adding healthiness to the model eliminates all of the original association between employment and number of years lived,this suggests that healthiness might predict both employment and longer life.This demonstrates that
A)reciprocal causality must always be considered for original hypotheses.
B)dependent variables must often be lagged for proper interpretation.
C)confounding factors present alternative explanations to original hypotheses.
D)adding new variables can change the results regarding the null hypothesis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates the possible influence of a confounding variable (healthiness) on the relationship between the independent variable (employment) and the dependent variable (number of years lived). The presence of such a variable can create alternative explanations for the initial hypothesis and must be considered in analyzing the results.

If a Researcher Hypothesizes That Employment Causes People to Live