Writing Use an appropriate research source to find a real-life...

Question

Writing Use an appropriate research source to find a real-life data set with the indicated cause-and-effect relationship. Write a paragraph describing each variable and explain why you think the variables have the indicated cause-and-effect relationship.
b. Other Factors: The relationship between the variables is caused by a third variable.

b. Other Factors: The relationship between the variables is caused by a third variable.

Accepted Answer

Hello everyone, glad to have you back. Our next problem says a study finds that schools with more vending machines have higher rates of student obesity. Identify the variables and explain why this relationship might be due to a third variable. So, we're looking at two factors here that seem to be linked. So, variable. One would be the number of vending machines. One variable 2 would then be the rate of student obesity. Which we might measure as, for instance, the proportion of students classified as obese. So If we're just looking at these two, we're seeing, you know, with an increase in vending machines, we see an increase in student obesity, um, This might logically be due to, you know, vending machines being there to lead to an increased consumption of high calorie snacks and drinks, which then would logically cause more students to be obese. In that case, the number of vending machines would be the X variable or the independent variable, independent. And variable 2 rate of student obesity would be the Y variable or dependent variable. If that is the case. However, this might not be the only factor affecting our Y variable, the rate of student obesity. So, we might find that there's more vending machines in schools that are in higher income areas. Since those areas could afford to have more vending machines. And so in that case, the increased number of vending machines and the increased obesity could be as a result of socioeconomic status rather than Being directly caused by more vending machines. In that case, socioeconomic status would be variable number 3. So, you can see that often these things are a little more complicated than might seem at first glance. We are shown a study that has the number of vending machines and the rate of student obesity being studied, and we would say that in this case, the variables, or independent variable would be the number of vending machines, and our dependent variable, the rate of student obesity. And we might theorize that having more vending machines means more snacks are available, more high calorie snacks and drinks, and this is what's causing the increased obesity. But we're also supposed to explain why the relationship might be due to a third variable. And that third variable could be socioeconomic status if our Number of vending machines is higher because the schools in a higher income area. In that case, that would be a 3rd variable involved in affecting the rate of student obesity. See you in the next video.

Key Concepts

Cause-and-Effect Relationship

Confounding Variable

Data Set Analysis

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