The researcher or practitioner must be sure that data being compared fully represent the impact of each condition, so that any differences in responding that are seen may be attributed to the ______.
A) dependent variable
B) extraneous variables
C) independent variable
D) researchers decisions

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is what is being manipulated in the experiment and is the condition that is hypothesized to affect the dependent variable. Therefore, any observed differences in responding can be attributed to the independent variable. Option A is incorrect because the dependent variable is the outcome variable that is measured in response to the independent variable. Option B is incorrect because extraneous variables are any variables other than the independent variable that could affect the dependent variable, and researchers attempt to control for them but cannot fully eliminate them. Option D is incorrect because the researcher's decisions may impact the study but are not directly related to the comparison of data between conditions.

The Researcher or Practitioner Must Be Sure That Data Being