A researcher designed an experiment to study the causes of aggression in children. Half the children ate a sugared cereal; the other half ate cornflakes. The researcher then recorded the number of aggressive acts displayed by the children in a one-hour play period after breakfast. In this experiment, _____ is the dependent variable and _____ is the independent variable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the outcome the researcher is interested in measuring, which in this case is the number of aggressive responses. The independent variable is what the researcher manipulates to see if it affects the dependent variable, which in this experiment is the type of breakfast (sugared cereal vs. cornflakes).

A Researcher Designed an Experiment to Study the Causes of Aggression