Stress Management Study A group of working middleaged men are asked to participate in a stress management study. Participants are allowed to choose whether they want to try daily meditation or follow a daily exercise routine. Half of the people choose meditation, and the other half choose to exercise every day.
Let's assume that there is greater stress reduction in the exercise group.
a. Suggest a plausible confounding variable that would prevent us from concluding that the stress reduction was due to the exercise alone. Explain why it is a confounding variable.
b. Explain a better way to conduct the experiment that is likely to remove the influence of confounding variables.