Imagine a study of potential cultural differences in the lateralization of language. Three participant groups are tested: native monolingual English speakers, native monolingual Japanese speakers, and native English speakers who acquired Japanese as a second language. Which of the following might be the study's dependent variable?
A) the participant group
B) some measure of the difference in brain activity between the two hemispheres
C) both of these options could be the dependent variable
D) none of these options could be the dependent variable

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in a study is what the researcher measures or tests to see if it is affected by changes in another variable (the independent variable). In this case, the measure of the difference in brain activity between the two hemispheres would be the dependent variable, as it is what the study aims to observe and measure across different participant groups to identify potential cultural differences in the lateralization of language. The participant group (A) is the independent variable, as it is the variable that is changed or varied to see its impact on the dependent variable.

Imagine a Study of Potential Cultural Differences in the Lateralization