A sociologist performs an experiment designed to investigate the effect of marriage counseling on divorce.He or she divides research participants into two similar groups of troubled couples,provides only one group with counseling,and observes whether,over time,the two groups eventually divorce at different rates.What is the independent variable in this experiment?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is deliberately manipulated or changed in an experiment. In this case, the sociologist is manipulating the presence of marriage counseling (or lack thereof) in one of the groups to observe its effect on the divorce rates. Therefore, marriage counseling is the independent variable.

A Sociologist Performs an Experiment Designed to Investigate the Effect