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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. What Is a Dependent Variable? Choosing Dependent Variables. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
S Kaliyadan F, Kulkarni V. An easy way to remember is to insert the names of the two variables you are using in this sentence in they way that makes the most sense. Then you can figure out which is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable:.
Independent variable causes a change in Dependent Variable and it isn't possible that Dependent Variable could cause a change in Independent Variable. We see that "Time Spent Studying" must be the independent variable and "Test Score" must be the dependent variable because the sentence doesn't make sense the other way around.
Fun Graphing Exercise! What are Independent and Dependent Variables? In a properly designed experiment, there will be only one manipulated variable. In the salt and water experiment, for example, the manipulated variable is the amount of salt added to the water. In the plant experiment, the manipulated variable is the light. Every other aspect of the experiment should be exactly the same between experimental groups and between test or trial runs.
One responding variable definition says the responding variable is what will be measured in the experiment. The responding variable, also called the dependent variable, is what the scientist measures as the experiment progresses. The responding variable is the response of the experimental subject to the manipulated variable. The dependent variable depends on what happens during the experiment. The two terms, responding variable and dependent variable, describe the same aspect of the experiment.
Although the experiment should only have one manipulated variable, there may be more than one responding variable. For example, the addition of salt to water may change the freezing temperature or the freezing time or both, or neither. The effect of changing the light wavelength on plant growth might be plant height, chlorophyll production, new leaf production or a combination of these factors. The independent variable is usually applied at different levels to see how the outcome differs.
You can apply just two levels e. You can also apply multiple levels e. Instead, they must find already-existing examples of the independent variable, and investigate how changes in this variable affect the dependent variable.
Instead, you look at a state that raised its minimum wage last year, and compare it to a neighboring state that did not. By comparing the difference in outcomes between the two states and accounting for other factors , you can investigate whether the change in minimum wage had an effect on employment rates.
These are known as confounding variables. In types of research where the exact relationship between variables is less certain, you might use different terms for independent and dependent variables. Sometimes, the variable you think is the cause might not be fully independent — it might be influenced by other variables.
In this case, one of these terms is more appropriate:. See an example. Researchers often use charts or graphs to visualize the results of their studies. For instance, how might a graph look from our example study on the impact of a new medication on blood pressure?
Frequently asked questions What are independent and dependent 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. For example, in an experiment about the effect of nutrients on crop growth:.
Defining your variables, and deciding how you will manipulate and measure them, is an important part of experimental design.
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