Week 5

Question 1

Treatment variable vs. outcome variable

Answer 1

treatment variable: variable whose change may **produce **a change in outcome
variable → X
outcome variable: variable that may change as a **result **of a change in the treatment variable → Y

Question 2

treatment group vs. control group

Answer 2

Treatment Group → Receives the treatment (exposed to the intervention).
Control Group → Does not receive the treatment (comparison group).

Question 3

Example: say you want to examine the effect of police wearing body cameras on police use of force. What is the treatment variable, outcome variable, treatment group, and control group

Answer 3

Treatment Variable: whether or not police wears body camera
Outcome Variable: whether or not police used force
Treatment Group: wears body camera
Control Group: does not wear body camera

Question 4

confounding variables

Answer 4

Definition: A third variable that affects both the treatment variable and the outcome variable, leading to a misleading conclusion.
Issue: If confounders are not controlled, they can make it seem like the treatment caused the outcome when it actually did not.

Question 5

What is the effect of attending a private school (rather
than a public school) on SAT scores?
What is the treatment variable?
What is the outcome variable?
What is the treatment group?
what is the control group?
What are some potential confounders

Answer 5

Treatment Variable: Attending a private school.
Outcome Variable: SAT scores.
Treatment Group: Students who attended private school.
Control Group: Students who attended public school.
Potential Confounding Variables:
Family income (wealthier families can afford private schools and also pay for SAT tutoring).
Parental education (higher-educated parents might be more involved in academics).
Student motivation (students attending private schools may be more academically driven).

Question 6

treatment variable

Answer 6

the factor researchers manipulate

Question 7

outcome variable

Answer 7

the effect researchers measure/ what is being tested in the outcome

Question 8

treatment group

Answer 8

gets the intervention (control group does not)

Question 9

control group

Answer 9

doesn’t get the intervention