In a controlled experiment, keeping all other conditions constant helps ensure...

In a controlled experiment, keeping all other conditions constant helps ensure...

• A. The results will be biased.
• B. The results will be unpredictable.
• C. The results are not skewed by unintended consequences of shifting conditions.
• D. The results will be larger.

Answer: (C)

Isolating the variable of interest by holding everything else constant lets you attribute any observed change to that variable, not to other changing conditions. This removes confounding influences that could introduce bias or unpredictable outcomes, so the results aren’t skewed by unintended shifts in the environment. The outcome may be larger, smaller, or unchanged; what matters is that the change is due to the tested factor.

Isolating the variable of interest by holding everything else constant lets you attribute any observed change to that variable, not to other changing conditions. This removes confounding influences that could introduce bias or unpredictable outcomes, so the results aren’t skewed by unintended shifts in the environment. The outcome may be larger, smaller, or unchanged; what matters is that the change is due to the tested factor.