Forty College Students Take Part in a Study on Exercise

question 36

Essay

Forty college students take part in a study on exercise and lung capacity. Twenty of the students are members of the college's swim team who exercise daily while the other twenty members are student volunteers who do not exercise on a regular basis. Two students on the swim team state that they smoke cigarettes on a regular basis while eight of the students who do not exercise state the same. The study finds that the lung capacity of the students who exercise is almost two times greater than the lung capacity of the students who do not exercise. What variable is most likely confounding this study's results?

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Definitions:

Natural Helpers

Individuals within a community who naturally provide support and advice to family, friends, and neighbors, often informally.

Ethnocentrism

The belief in the inherent superiority of one's own ethnic group or culture, often resulting in prejudice and discrimination.

Color-blindness

An approach or ideology that disregards racial and ethnic differences, which can unintentionally perpetuate disparities.

Racism

Prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.