Independent and Dependent Variables Gabriel observes that web pages use a range of font sizes and questions how this affects readability.He reproduces an actual 250-word news report in 10, 11, and 12-point fonts.Then, he randomly assigns subjects to read the report in one of the font sizes and measures their reading comprehension.Font size is the ____ in Gabriel's experiment.
A)confounding variable
B)dependent variable
C)extraneous variable
D)independent variable

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Font size is the independent variable in Gabriel's experiment because it is being deliberately manipulated by the experimenter to observe its effect on the dependent variable of reading comprehension. The dependent variable is the subject's reading comprehension because it is being measured as the outcome of the experiment. Confounding and extraneous variables are not mentioned in the scenario.

Independent and Dependent Variables Gabriel Observes That Web Pages Use