Skinner discovered that a pigeon will peck at a button more often if the pecking is rewarded with a food pellet than if it is not rewarded at all.In Skinner's study,the food pellet is the:
A) dependent variable.
B) experimental variable.
C) the independent variable.
D) correlation.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The food pellet is the independent variable in this study because it is the variable that is being manipulated by the experimenter to see its effect on the pigeon's behavior (pecking at the button). The dependent variable is the frequency of the pigeon's pecking behavior, which is being measured and possibly influenced by the independent variable. The experimental variable refers to the overall manipulation or treatment that is being applied in the study, which in this case could be the presence or absence of the food pellet as a reward. Correlation is not relevant to this study since it involves measuring the relationship between two variables without manipulating them.

Skinner Discovered That a Pigeon Will Peck at a Button