The presence of a pattern in the residuals of a multiple linear regression model can indicate violations of the ________ assumption.

The presence of a pattern in the residuals of a multiple linear regression model can indicate a violation of the independence assumption. This assumption requires that the residuals, which are the differences between the observed and predicted values of the dependent variable, are independent of each other. If a pattern is observed in the residuals, it may indicate that the residuals are not independent, and the model may not provide valid results.