nuisance variable

a type of extraneous variable that does not differ systematically across levels or conditions of the independent variable under investigation but whose variation nonetheless may contribute to an increase in experimental error. Participant characteristics and environmental conditions often are nuisance variables. For example, individuals in a learning study who are distracted by noise in a nearby room may not perform as well as they would otherwise.

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Psychology term of the day

February 23rd 2025

self-denial

n. the act of suppressing desires and forgoing satisfactions.