Dr. Archer wanted to see if people are more prone to seek the company of others when anxious than when calm. He randomly assigned half of his subjects to an anxiety group and then told them that, as part of the study, they would receive electric shocks. He did not frighten the other group of subjects. Finally, he recorded how many subjects in each group chose to be "tested" in a group setting and how many chose to be "tested" alone. What was the dependent variable in this study?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this study is the preference of the subjects for being alone or in a group, which is being measured and recorded as a response to the manipulation of anxiety. The independent variable is the anxiety manipulation (group assignment). The two groups (A) are just a division of the sample, and the level of anxiety (B) is a variable that is manipulated by the researcher, not measured as an outcome.

Dr Archer Wanted to See If People Are More Prone