factorial analysis of covariance

a statistical procedure to understand the effect on a dependent variable of two or more independent variables that are categorical in nature, plus one or more additional correlated variables that are quantitative in nature. For example, a researcher may use a factorial analysis of covariance to understand reading performance by examining the effect of phoneme training (i.e., yes vs. no) and gender (male vs. female), after taking into account the intelligence scores of the research participants.