Dr.Robbins wants to know if there are different opinions regarding the value of public school education between Native Americans who have at least one relative who attended Indian Boarding School and Native Americans who have no family experience with Indian Boarding School.Dr.Robbins contacts 35 Native American participants in each group.He wants each group to include younger as well as older adults, and a mix of male and female participants.He asks each person to complete a survey about their attitudes toward public education.In this study, _____ is the independent variable.
A)score on the "attitude toward public schools" measure
B)experience with Indian boarding school
C)gender of participant
D)age of participant

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable that is being manipulated or varied in the study. In this case, the independent variable is the experience with Indian boarding school, as Dr. Robbins wants to compare the attitudes of those with and without family experience with the schools. The other variables (score on the "attitude toward public schools" measure, gender of participant, and age of participant) are likely to be measured and potentially used as control variables, but they are not being manipulated as the independent variable.

DrRobbins Wants to Know If There Are Different Opinions Regarding