spurious relationships

Definition:
Spurious relationship: A relationship than can be “explained away” by reference to another variable. When a connection between A and B is due solely to their both being caused by C, it is said that the relationship between A and B is spurious (or “false”).

A spurious relationship in research design refers to a situation where two variables appear to be related but are not causally linked. This misleading association often arises due to the influence of a third variable, known as a confounding variable.

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