Hearing loss is more common among premature infants than among full-term infants. This was thought to be an effect of premature birth. It has recently been suggested that hearing loss may be caused by the high noise level of the incubators in which the premature infants are placed. This is an example of
A) statistical significance.
B) confounding between two variables.
C) a designed experiment.
D) nonrandom sampling error.
E) matching.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The suggested relationship between hearing loss and incubator noise level suggests that there may be a confounding variable at play; that is, the relationship between prematurity and hearing loss may not be as direct as previously thought, as it may be mediated by the noise level in the incubator.

Hearing Loss Is More Common Among Premature Infants Than Among