A researcher has a hypothesis that hostility toward women is created by viewing pornography. If the researcher does an experiment to test this, what would be the independent variable?
A)Scores on a "hostility toward women" scale
B)Being placed in a control group
C)The viewing of pornography
D)The sex of the subjects

Question

A researcher has a hypothesis that hostility toward women is created by viewing pornography. If the researcher does an experiment to test this, what would be the independent variable?
A)Scores on a "hostility toward women" scale
B)Being placed in a control group
C)The viewing of pornography
D)The sex of the subjects

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is deliberately manipulated or varied by the researcher in order to observe its effect on the dependent variable. In this case, the independent variable is the viewing of pornography, which the researcher believes may lead to hostility toward women. The dependent variable is likely to be scores on a "hostility toward women" scale, as this is a measure of the outcome the researcher is interested in studying.

A Researcher Has a Hypothesis That Hostility Toward Women Is