Dependent and independent variables

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/dependent-and-independent-variables

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the methodological foundation?Essential for establishing causality and designing controlled experiments
2. What is the statistical relevance?Central to regression analysis, ANOVA, and hypothesis testing
3. What is an independent variable?An independent variable is the thing you change on purpose in an experiment. It is the cause that might make something else happen.
4. What is a dependent variable?A dependent variable is the result you measure. It is the effect that depends on the independent variable.

Variable: A measurable characteristic or attribute that can vary among individuals or over time.
Independent Variable (IV): The variable that is manipulated or changed by the researcher to observe its effect on another variable.
Dependent Variable (DV): The variable that is measured to determine the effect of the independent variable; its value is hypothesized to depend on the IV.
Confounding Variable: An extraneous variable that correlates with both the independent and dependent variables, potentially distorting the observed relationship.