To determine the effects of a new memory-enhancing pill,a researcher randomly assigns 30 women to one of two conditions.In the first condition,each subject is given a pill and then told to try to memorize a list of 20 nonsense words.In the second condition,subjects are simply asked to try to memorize the word list.Results indicated that subjects who received the pill got an average of 12 items correct,whereas the no-pill group recalled only 6 items.In this experiment,the independent variable is the
A) sex of the subjects.
B) number of words recalled.
C) pill versus no-pill condition.
D) use of nonsense words.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is manipulated by the researcher in order to see if it has an effect on the dependent variable. In this case, the independent variable is whether or not the subjects received the pill. The dependent variable is the number of words recalled. The sex of the subjects and the use of nonsense words are not manipulated in this experiment, and therefore are not independent variables.

To Determine the Effects of a New Memory-Enhancing Pill,a Researcher