What is the term used for a variable introduced to help interpret the relationship between other variables?

The correct answer is that a control variable is a term used for a variable introduced to help interpret the relationships between other variables in a study. Control variables are held constant or monitored to prevent them from influencing the results. By controlling for these variables, researchers can isolate the impact of the independent variable on the dependent variable, which allows for a clearer interpretation of the causal relationship at play.

In practical terms, when conducting research, if a variable could potentially affect the outcome but is not of primary interest, it is treated as a control variable. This allows the researcher to more confidently attribute changes in the dependent variable solely to the independent variable being studied.

Other types of variables, such as dependent and independent variables, play different roles in the research process. The dependent variable is the outcome that researchers are interested in explaining, while the independent variable is the factor that is manipulated to observe its effect on the dependent variable. Extraneous variables, on the other hand, are those that can affect the dependent variable but are not accounted for in the research design; controlling them is essential to increase the validity of the study findings.