Understanding the level of independence is crucial for several reasons: 1. Avoiding Confounding: Confounding occurs when an extraneous variable influences both the independent variable and the dependent variable, misleading the study results. Ensuring independence helps mitigate this risk. 2. Improving Validity: Independent variables that are truly independent improve the internal validity of the study, ensuring that the results are attributable to the factors being studied rather than external influences. 3. Accurate Statistical Analysis: Statistical methods often assume that observations are independent. Violating this assumption can lead to incorrect conclusions.
