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Confounding
Variable or factor in causal inference / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Confounding factor" redirects here. For the company, see Confounding Factor. For the psychological state, see Confusion.
In causal inference, a confounder[lower-alpha 1] is a variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable, causing a spurious association. Confounding is a causal concept, and as such, cannot be described in terms of correlations or associations.[1][2][3] The existence of confounders is an important quantitative explanation why correlation does not imply causation. Some notations are explicitly designed to identify the existence, possible existence, or non-existence of confounders in causal relationships between elements of a system.
![]() | This article may be too technical for most readers to understand. (September 2019) |
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Confounds are threats to internal validity.[4]