Identifying Independent & Dependent Variables: Practice

1. Will students to do better in school if you “pay for grades”? To test this question, an instructor gives
students a math test. Before taking the test, half the students were told that they would receive $0.25 for
every correct answer. The other half was not given a monetary incentive. The number of correct answers
was recorded for each student.

Independent variable: monetary incentive

Levels: paid vs. not paid

Dependent variable: # of correct answers (this is the score each person receives)

Scale for the DV: ratio

2. A social psychologist thinks that people are more likely to conform to a large crowd than to a single
person. To test this hypothesis, the psychologist had either one person or five people stand on a busy
walking path on campus and look up. (note: people who are in cahoots with the experimenter are called
confederates). The psychologist stood nearby and counted the number of people passing by who looked
up and the number who did not look up.

Independent variable: crowd size

Levels: 1 person vs. 5 people

Dependent variable: conformity (looked up vs. did not look up)

Scale for the DV: nominal

3. To test a new voice feature in a cockpit design a flight simulator was used. The simulator was
programmed to give visual readings of flight information, or to give visual and auditory (voice) readings
of flight information. All test pilots were put through a simulated emergency landing procedure, but were
randomly assigned to the visual, or visual and auditory conditions. Flight experts rated each pilot’s
performance in the simulator on a scale of 1 (very poor) to 10 (excellent).

Independent variable: type of flight information

Levels: visual vs. visual + audio

Dependent variable: pilot performance

Scale for the DV: interval

4. A researcher was interested in the effects of reward on intrinsic motivation. Some children
were told that they would be given a special award for drawing with magic markers (an activity
they already enjoyed). Other children were simply asked to draw with the magic markers. One
week later, the children were unobtrusively observed for how much time they spent drawing with
the markers. The children who expected and received a reward for drawing with the markers
spent less time drawing with them later.

Independent variable: reward

Levels: rewarded vs. not rewarded
Dependent variable: time spent drawing with markers
Scale for the DV: ratio

5. In an investigation of the fundamental attribution error, subjects were given a speech to read
that either favored or opposed Fidel Castro, the former communist leader of Cuba. Subjects
were told that the speech was written by a student who had been assigned to the position taken in
the paper (that is, the student writing the speech had no choice on which position to
take). Nevertheless, subjects believed that the student who wrote the pro-Castro speech had
positive attitudes toward Castro, while subjects who read the anti-Castro paper believed the
writer had negative attitudes toward Castro. Attitudes toward Castro was measured on a 6 point
Likert scale, where 1 = extremely negative and 6 = extremely positive.

Independent variable: speech about Castro

Levels: favorable (pro-Castro) vs. unfavorable (anti-Castro)

Dependent variable: participants’ perception of the author’s attitude toward Castro

Scale for the DV: interval

6. A researcher suspects that a newly discovered brain structure (the snookum) plays an
important role in the desire to show affection. To test this, he administered a drug which inhibits
the snookum. He tested 3 groups of people who received either: 0 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg of the
drug. He predicted that the more the snookum was inhibited, the less affection people would
show (number of hugs and kisses to a cute, cuddly puppy).

Independent variable: snookum inhibition

Levels: no inhibition (0 mg), moderate inhibition (5 mg), high inhibition (10 mg)

Dependent variable: number of hugs and kisses to a cute, cuddly puppy

Scale for the DV: ratio

7. A researcher suspects that the amount of oxygen in the air affects how quickly yeast will
grow. To test this, he varies the amount of oxygen present in 3 closed chambers (low O2,
medium O2, high O2) and records the rate of yeast growth (density per square mm) in each
chamber.

Independent variable: oxygen levels

Levels: low O2, medium O2, high O2
Dependent variable: rate of yeast growth (density per square mm)
Scale for the DV: ratio

8. A soap manufacturer wants to show that their detergent (Suddsy-Clean) works better to
remove tough stains compared to the leading brand (Tidey-Clean). To test this, 20 white t-shirts
were purchased. On each t-shirt, 10 different types of stains were placed. Half the t-shirts were
then washed with Suddsy-Clean, and the other half were washed with Tidey-Clean. Afterwards,
the number of stains left on each t-shirt was recorded.

Independent variable: type of soap

Levels: Suddsy-Clean vs. Tidey-Clean
Dependent variable: number of stains
Scale for the DV: ratio

9. An entomologist wants to determine if temperature (50, 70, 90 degrees) affects how many
times a cricket chirps in a one hour period.

Independent variable: temperature

Levels: 50, 70, 90 degrees
Dependent variable: number of chirps in 1 hour
Scale for the DV: ratio

10. Previous research has shown that playing music helps plants grow taller. But, does the type
of music matter? Does the volume of the music matter? To test this, 1” seedlings were assigned
to a specific music group (country, rock, classical). Then within each of these groups, the music
was played at either a low, medium, or high volume. At the end of one month, each plant’s
height was recorded.

Independent variable 1: type of music

Levels for IV 1: country, rock, classical
Independent variable 2: volume level
Levels for IV 2: low, medium, or high volume
Dependent variable: height
Scale for the DV: ratio

11. Harvester ants often strip a bush of all of its leaves. Some people believe this helps the plant
grow thicker, healthier stems. In an experiment, a student stripped off all the leaves from a set of
plants. In a second set of identical plants, the student allowed ants to strip off the plants’ leaves.
The student measures the plants’ stem thickness (in mm) 4 weeks later.

Independent variable: method of leaf stripping

Levels: student vs. ant
Dependent variable: stem thickness (mm)
Scale for the DV: ratio

12. Does watching aggressive team sports on TV increase aggression in the observer? To test
this, half your participants watch a hockey game and the other half watch a team relay race.
Immediately after, the participants are asked to sentence a hypothetical convicted felon to a jail
sentence. You infer that longer sentences equate with more aggression.

Independent variable: type of sport

Levels: hockey (aggressive) vs. relay race (non-aggressive)
Dependent variable: length of jail sentence
Scale for the DV: ratio

13. You want to test a new drug that supposedly prevents sneezing in people allergic to grass.
You randomly assign ½ the participants to the drug group and the rest to a placebo control. One
half hour later, you have them sit in a room filled with the grass they are allergic to. You record
the total number of sneezes over the next 30 minutes.

Independent variable: anti-sneezing drug

Levels: drug vs. placebo
Dependent variable: number of sneezes in 30 min
Scale for the DV: ratio
14. Orchids were studied to determine if the amount of humidity (25%, 55%, 85%) affects the
flowering of these plants. The researcher placed 20 four month old plants with no blooms on
them in each of these humidity conditions. After 3 weeks, he recorded the total number of
blooms on the 20 plants in each condition.

Independent variable: amount of humidity

Levels: 25%, 55%, 85%
Dependent variable: number of blooms
Scale for the DV: ratio

15. Which method of wound closure produces the least noticeable scarring 12 weeks later:
stitches, staples, or steri-strips? He randomly assigns 10 patients to each method. Degree of
scaring is measured on a 6 point Likert scale, where 1 = no visible scar and 6 = extremely visible
scar.

Independent variable: method of wound closure

Levels: stitches, staples, or steri-strips
Dependent variable: degree of scarring
Scale for the DV: interval

16. Which method of learning brain anatomy is more effective: using a coloring book for the
brain or the rap song method. Students in the respective groups are scored on an anatomy test
after using their method for 2 weeks.

Independent variable: method of learning brain anatomy

Levels: coloring book for the brain vs. the rap song method
Dependent variable: score on an anatomy test
Scale for the DV: ratio

17. A florist wants to see if Product X or Product Y will extend the life of cut flowers so that
they last longer. Longevity is measured by rating the health of the flower from 1 (dead) to 10 (no
visible deterioration).

Independent variable: Type of Product

Levels: Product X vs. Product Y
Dependent variable: health rating for the flower
Scale for the DV: interval
18. Within a classroom setting, subjects were asked to listen to a guest instructor. All subjects
were given a description of the instructor before class. Some subjects read a description
containing the phrase “People who know him consider him to be a rather cold person...”, while
other people read a description where the word “warm” was substituted for the word cold
(otherwise, the descriptions were identical). After the lecture, subjects were asked to rate the
instructor. Subjects who were told the instructor was warm gave him more favorable ratings
compared to subjects who were told that the instructor was cold. Instructor rating was assessed
using a 5 point Likert scale.

Independent variable: description of guest instructor

Levels: warm vs. cold
Dependent variable: instructor rating
Scale for the DV: interval

19. Subjects watched a videotape of a woman taking an SAT-like test. In all cases, she
correctly answered 15 out of 30 questions. But subjects who observed a pattern of initial success
followed by failure perceived the woman as more intelligent than did those who observed the
opposite pattern of failure followed by success. Intelligence was measured by having participants
estimate her IQ

Independent variable: pattern of success & failure on test

Levels: success  failure vs. failure  success
Dependent variable: IQ of woman in video
Scale for the DV: interval But is it? Participants are asked to "estimate" using a crude method
so it would be acceptable to say ordinal.

20. Subjects read about a woman who used a particular title, and then rated her on a number of
traits. When the woman used the title Ms. rather than Miss or Mrs., she was assumed to be more
assertive, achievement oriented, and dynamic, but also cold, unpopular, and unlikely to have a
happy marriage. Each of these “traits” was assessed using a Likert scale

Independent variable: woman’s title

Levels: Ms., Miss, Mrs.
Dependent variables: rating for the traits: assertive, achievement oriented, and dynamic,
cold, unpopular, and unlikely to have a happy marriage

Scale for the DVs: interval for each of the 6 DVs