Students often incorrectly use the term "bias" to describe anything that is wrong with a research study, saying, "the study is biased because . . ." But Sampling Bias and the presence of a Confounding...

Students often incorrectly use the term "bias" to describe anything that is wrong with a research study, saying, "the study is biased because . . ."

ButSampling Bias and the presence of aConfounding Variable are two different problems for research, that prevent different types of conclusions, that have different remedies to remove them from a study when it is designed. This discussion is designed for students to help each other build a complete understanding, and clearly separate these as two distinct concepts.

Discuss the similarities and differences between these, as well as the research problems they cause, and how they can be eliminated from a study.