Mike wants to find out whether campers prefer cotton or nylon sleeping bags. He asks a group of girl campers to try both the nylon and cotton sleeping bags. The sleeping bags were rated for softness and warmth. What is the confounding variable in Mike's experiment?
A)Cotton or nylon material
B)Softness
C)Gender of camper
D)Sleeping bags

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The confounding variable in Mike's experiment is the gender of the camper. This is because the experiment only involved a group of girl campers, and gender may affect their preferences for sleeping bags. To eliminate this confounding variable, the experiment should involve both male and female campers. The other variables (material, softness, and warmth) are the independent variables that are being tested in the experiment.

Mike Wants to Find Out Whether Campers Prefer Cotton or Nylon