A researcher divides participants into those who suffer from insomnia and those who sleep well. He compares the two groups on the number of hours each spends at leisure activities in an average week. He finds the insomniacs spend significantly fewer hours at such activities than do the participants who sleep well. In this example, the number of hours spent at leisure activities is
A) the independent variable.
B) the dependent variable.
C) confounded with which group the participant is in.
D) the hypothesis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this context, the independent variable is the group assignment (insomnia vs. good sleep) and the dependent variable is the number of hours spent at leisure activities per week. The researcher is comparing the two groups on the dependent variable, therefore it is the dependent variable. Confounding variables are not mentioned in the scenario, so C is not a correct answer. D is also incorrect, as the hypothesis is the statement that the researcher is testing, which is not mentioned in the scenario.

A Researcher Divides Participants into Those Who Suffer from Insomnia