Question 7.70

image 40. A typical hour of prime-time television shows three to five violent acts. Linking family interviews and police records shows a clear association between time spent watching TV as a child and later aggressive behavior.

  1. Explain why this is an observational study rather than an experiment.
  2. Suggest several variables describing a child’s home life that may be confounded with how much TV he or she watches.
  3. Explain why confounding makes it difficult to conclude that more TV causes more aggressive behavior.