A research study on a group of children with autism will compare treatment delivered by parents at home to treatment delivered by teachers at school. If the study finds that the treatment delivered at school is more effective, which item is the BEST example of a confounding variable?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Differences between the parents and teachers could potentially impact the effectiveness of the treatment and could be a confounding variable. For example, teachers may have more training and experience in working with children with autism, and may be more consistent in delivering the treatment. Parents may have other responsibilities and may not be able to devote as much time to delivering the treatment, or may have other stressors that could impact their effectiveness. Differences in the treatment or in the children themselves could also be potential confounding variables, but are not as directly related to the comparison between treatment delivered by parents at home and treatment delivered by teachers at school. The diagnosis is also not a confounding variable, as all the children in the study would have the same diagnosis of autism.

A Research Study on a Group of Children with Autism