A researcher is exploring possible reasons for some children being put into gifted programs and other children not being entered into gifted programs.This study is ex post facto because the
A) subjects are already known to differ on the dependent variable.
B) subjects are already known to differ on the independent variable.
C) a and b
D) None of these are true.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ex post facto means "after the fact" or "retrospective" in Latin. It refers to a study that is conducted after the fact, meaning that the researcher has no control over the independent variable, which has already occurred. In this case, the dependent variable is whether or not a child is in a gifted program, and the independent variable is the reason for this placement. However, the researcher did not have control over whether a child was put into a gifted program or not, as this decision was already made. Therefore, the subjects are already known to differ on the dependent variable.

A Researcher Is Exploring Possible Reasons for Some Children Being