Removing Confounding Factors
A confounding factor (sometimes called a confounding variable) in a research study is an element which may distort the results of a study. This factor has to be controlled in order to remove its possible effects on the relationship between the variables examined in the study.
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In scientific experiments, researchers try to design the experiment in a way that prevents additional or confounding variables from also affecting their results. One way to remove the influence of confounding variables is to select participants who are as similar as possible, and randomly divide them into the experimental and control groups. Using sampling to remove possible effects of confounding variables is called 'matched sampling'.
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The purpose of closely matching the participants in the experimental and control groups is to…
