Intervening variable
Hi! Do you know what an intervening variable is? It's like a little helper that scientists use when they are trying to figure out why something happens.
Let's say we want to know why some kids do better in math than others. One thing we might consider is how much they study. We think that more studying might lead to better math scores. But wait! There's an intervening variable that we need to consider!
The intervening variable is something that comes between two other things we are studying. In this case, the intervening variable might be how much the kid likes math. If a kid loves math and thinks it's really fun, they might study more and do better on math tests, regardless of how much they actually study.
So scientists need to make sure they think about any intervening variables that might be affecting their results. They might even design experiments to try and take those variables into account. It can be a bit complicated, but it helps us get a clearer understanding of how things work!
Let's say we want to know why some kids do better in math than others. One thing we might consider is how much they study. We think that more studying might lead to better math scores. But wait! There's an intervening variable that we need to consider!
The intervening variable is something that comes between two other things we are studying. In this case, the intervening variable might be how much the kid likes math. If a kid loves math and thinks it's really fun, they might study more and do better on math tests, regardless of how much they actually study.
So scientists need to make sure they think about any intervening variables that might be affecting their results. They might even design experiments to try and take those variables into account. It can be a bit complicated, but it helps us get a clearer understanding of how things work!