Can a confounding variable be correlated with the DV and not the IV?
I have heard of the DV being corr. but I can't find IV in any textbooks.
I found this definition in Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confounding
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asked Oct 30, 2012 at 19:53
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3$\begingroup$ Does the opening line of the link that you posted not answer your question? $\endgroup$– Jake WestfallOct 30, 2012 at 20:39
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$\begingroup$ @Jake possibly, but that's why I came here for additional information. $\endgroup$– timothy.s.lauNov 29, 2012 at 15:51
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1 Answer
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No.
One way to think of a confounding variable is as something that confuses the issues by making it unclear which of the various explanatory (sometimes confusingly called "independent") variables is actually relating to the response (sometimes, confusingly, called "dependent"). This is only possible if there is correlation between the candidate explanatory variables (or "IV"s). Otherwise there simply is no way that the confounding variable confuses the picture for the other explanatory variables.
answered Oct 30, 2012 at 23:04