Confounding Variables in Social Media Research
A researcher studying confirmation bias monitored the social media activity of 200 participants for 30 days, coding their engagement with posts that either confirmed or challenged their stated political beliefs. The researcher found that participants were three times more likely to like or share posts aligned with their existing views. Which potential confounding variable most directly threatens the internal validity of this conclusion?
A
The sample size of participants
B
The social media algorithms that preferentially show users content matching their previous engagement patterns
C
The method of coding political beliefs
D
The length of the study period
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