A research team was investigating the impact of stereotypes on performance. In one group, women read a magazine article about why the structure of men's brains makes them better at math. In the second group, women read a magazine article saying there are no biological differences in the mathematical abilities of men and women. All women in the study then took a challenging math test. Researchers scored the number of items women answered correctly. In this study, which of the following was the dependent variable?
A) How difficult women found the test
B) Women's beliefs about their math abilities
C) Which article the women read
D) Women's scores on the math test

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured and is expected to change as a result of the independent variable. In this study, the independent variable is the article the women read (either saying men are biologically better at math or there are no biological differences). The dependent variable is the women's scores on the challenging math test, as this is the variable being measured and is expected to change based on the women's exposure to the different articles.

A Research Team Was Investigating the Impact of Stereotypes on Performance