Potential relationship
In simple experiments, there can be a potential relationship shown between two variables. A variable is defined as a feature or element that can change or vary. In terms of an experimental hypothesis, there are two different variables. The two variables are known as the independent and dependent variable. “An experiment’s independent variable (IV) is the dimension that the experimenter intentionally manipulates; it is the antecedent the experimenter chooses to vary” (Myers & Hansen, 2012, pg. 193). The meaning of “independent” is that it is not affected by anything in the experiment. The independent variable is what the researcher manipulates in the experiment. The independent variable must also be given two possible values to meet the required conditions. “These values are called the levels of the independent variable in the experiment. The researcher varies the levels of the IV by creating different treatment conditions within the experiment.” (Myers & Hansen, 2012, pg. 194). This means that with each different treatment condition introduced in the experiment, another level of the IV is made. The other variable mentioned, dependent variable, helps determine if the independent variable had any effect. “The dependent variable (DV) is the particular behavior we expect to change because of our experimental treatment; it is the outcome we are trying to explain.”( Myers & Hansen, 2012, pg. 196). The dependent variables relies on the values of the independent variable. If there is a change in the independent variable, we can expect a change in the dependent variable. Other terms that the Independent variable can be referred to as are treatments, manipulations, interventions and conditions. Other terms that the dependent variable can be referred to as are measures, effects, outcomes and results. Making sure you properly select the indpendent and dependent variable is important for every experiment.
Examples: A study is looking to see if violent video games cause aggressive behavior. The independent variable for this experiment would be the video games played, while the dependent variable would be the aggressiveness of their behavior.
Determine if the amount of study time affects the student’s grades, the independent variable is the study time and the dependent variable is the grade they get.