Data show that men who are married, and also divorced or widowed men, earn quite a bit more than men the same age who have never been married. This does not mean that a man can raise his income by getting married because men who have never been married are different from married men in many ways other than marital status. Suggest one possible lurking variable that might help explain the association between marital status and income. Choose the most plausible suggestion from the choices.
A. Men who are married, widowed, or divorced are usually more committed both in their personal and professional lives, enabling them to succeed in their careers.
B. Married, widowed, or divorced men have high income jobs. A high income job tends to make an individual more dedicated. This dedication leads a man to get married.
C. High income leads to greater commitment, which leads to marriage. Thus, we see that high income should actually be associated with men who have never been married.
D. Married, widowed, or divorced men tend to be more committed as well as men with high income jobs. From this, we may safely conclude that getting married leads to a high income job.