noun phrase · academic
confounding variable
UK/kənˈfaʊndɪŋ ˈvɛəriəbl/US/kənˈfaʊndɪŋ ˈveriəbəl/con·FOUND·ing VAR·i·a·ble
a factor that distorts the apparent relationship between independent and dependent variables
Examples
“When analysing the link between diet and illness, smoking can be a confounding variable.”
“We adjusted for confounding variables such as age and income.”
“Failure to account for confounding variables can invalidate a study's conclusions.”
Band 8 sentence
“We adjusted for several potential confounding variables, such as age and socioeconomic status, before analysing the results.”
Collocations
- control for confounding variables
- adjust for confounding variables
- eliminate confounding variables
Word family
Common mistakes
confusing variable→confounding variable
confound variable→confounding variable
Say it for a higher band
5other factor→6extraneous variable→7+confounding variable
Synonyms
extraneous variable
Easily confused
extraneous variable
“Researchers tried to control extraneous variables during the experiment.”
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