In an experiment, two groups of college students were shown the same pictures of 25 women from a different campus. However, for one group, the photos were altered to make the faces in the photographs appear more symmetrical. Participates rated the attractiveness of the women on a one-to-ten scale with ten being very attractive and one be very unattractive. In this experiment, what was the independent variable?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable in this experiment is whether or not the photographs were symmetrical. This is because this variable was deliberately manipulated by the researchers to see if it had an effect on the attractiveness ratings given by the participants. The other options, such as the attractiveness rating scales, sex of the people in the pictures, and the fact that they were college students, are all examples of variables that were not manipulated by the researchers and would therefore be considered dependent variables or control variables.

In an Experiment, Two Groups of College Students Were Shown