What Is The Independent Variable In Psychology?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The independent variable is

the variable that is controlled and manipulated by the experimenter

. For example, in an experiment on the impact of sleep deprivation on test performance, sleep deprivation would be the independent variable. The dependent variable is the variable that is measured by the experimenter.

What is meant by independent variable in psychology?

The independent variable (IV) is the characteristic of

a psychology experiment that is manipulated or changed by researchers, not by other variables in the experiment

. For example, in an experiment looking at the effects of studying on test scores, studying would be the independent variable.

What is an example of an independent variable?

It is a variable that stands alone and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example,

someone’s age might

be an independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much television they watch) aren’t going to change a person’s age.

What are the 3 independent variables?

In this sense, some common independent variables are

time, space, density, mass, fluid flow rate

, and previous values of some observed value of interest (e.g. human population size) to predict future values (the dependent variable).

What are some examples of independent and dependent variables?

Independent variable causes an effect on the dependent variable. Example:

How long you sleep (independent variable) affects your test score

(dependent variable). This makes sense, but: Example: Your test score affects how long you sleep.

Which is the dependent variable?

The dependent variable is

the variable that is being measured or tested in an experiment

.1 For example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts test scores, the dependent variable would be the participants’ test scores, since that is what is being measured.

What are the 3 types of variables?

These changing quantities are called variables. A variable is any factor, trait, or condition that can exist in differing amounts or types. An experiment usually has three kinds of variables:

independent, dependent, and controlled

.

What do you mean by dependent and independent variable?


The independent variable is the variable the experimenter manipulates or changes

, and is assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable. … The dependent variable is the variable being tested and measured in an experiment, and is ‘dependent’ on the independent variable.

Is age an independent variable?

It is a

variable that stands alone

and isn’t changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone’s age might be an independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much television they watch) aren’t going to change a person’s age.

How do you know if a variable is independent?

You can tell if two random variables are independent

by looking at their individual probabilities

. If those probabilities don’t change when the events meet, then those variables are independent. Another way of saying this is that if the two variables are correlated, then they are not independent.

Is a treatment an independent variable?

When a researcher gives an active medication to one group of people and a placebo, or inactive medication, to another group of people, the independent variable is

the medication treatment

. Each person’s response to the active medication or placebo is called the dependent variable.

Is height an independent variable?

In this study, time is the independent variable and

height is the dependent variable

. Answer 5: When you make a graph of something, the independent variable is on the X-axis, the horizontal line, and the dependent variable is on the Y-axis, the vertical line.

What are the levels of an independent variable?

If an experiment compares an experimental treatment with a control treatment, then the independent variable (type of treatment) has two levels:

experimental and control

. If an experiment were comparing five types of diets, then the independent variable (type of diet) would have 5 levels.

How do you distinguish between dependent and independent variables?

You can think of independent and dependent variables in terms of cause and effect: an independent variable is the variable you think is the cause, while a

dependent variable is

the effect. In an experiment, you manipulate the independent variable and measure the outcome in the dependent variable.

How do you remember independent and dependent variables?

An easy way to remember the difference between independent and dependent variables is

to insert the two variables into

the following sentence in such a way that it makes sense: Changing (independent variable) affects the value of (dependent variable).

What are examples of independent?

The definition of independent is someone or something that is free from the influence or control of another. An example of independent is

someone who lives on their own and supports themself

. Free from the influence, guidance, or control of another or others; self-reliant.

Juan Martinez
Author
Juan Martinez
Juan Martinez is a journalism professor and experienced writer. With a passion for communication and education, Juan has taught students from all over the world. He is an expert in language and writing, and has written for various blogs and magazines.