A relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable that exists only because the effects of a third variable have not been taken into account is referred to as a third variable correlation.
Explanation:
A confounding variable, also known as a third variable or a mediator variable, influences both the independent variable and dependent variable. Being unaware of or failing to control for confounding variables may cause the researcher to analyze the results incorrectly.
A type of confounding in which a third variable leads to a mistaken causal relationship between two others. For instance, cities with a greater number of churches have a higher crime rate.
