What is the independent variable in the following experiment? Professor Apollo believes that when people try to block certain thoughts, the thoughts are more intrusive. She randomly assigns participants to two groups; one that must try to prevent thoughts, and one that can think of anything they wish.
A)The gender of the participants
B)The thoughts people had
C)The groups (i.e., thought prevention or think anything)people were assigned to
D)How effective people were at blocking thoughts

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the manipulated variable, or the variable that the researcher controls. In this case, it is the group participants are assigned to (thought prevention or think anything). A and B are not independent variables because they are not being manipulated by the researcher. D might be a dependent variable, depending on how the experiment is being measured.

What Is the Independent Variable in the Following Experiment? Professor