A New York Times article published on April 24, 2007, reported the research of Dr.Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trieste, Italy.In this study, Dr.Vallortigara assessed whether a dog's tail wags in a preferred direction in response to positive as opposed to negative stimuli.First Dr.Vallortigara recruited 30 dogs that were family pets.While filming a dog's tail from above he allowed the dog to view (through a slot in its cage) its owner, an unfamiliar human, a cat, and an unfamiliar dominant dog.The study found that dogs' tails wagged to the right for the owner and to the left for the unfamiliar dominant dog.What is the dependent variable in this study?
A) finding that dogs' tails went rightward for the owner and leftward for an unfamiliar dog
B) the 30 dogs that were recruited for the study
C) whether the dog wagged its tail to the right or left
D) the type of visual stimulus provided to the dog

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the behavior being measured, in this case, whether the dog wagged its tail to the right or left. The independent variable is the type of visual stimulus provided to the dog. The 30 dogs that were recruited for the study are part of the sample and not a variable. The finding about the direction of tail wagging is a result of the study and not a variable being measured. Therefore, the correct answer is C, whether the dog wags its tail to the right or left.

A New York Times Article Published on April 24, 2007