A clinical researcher was interested in determining whether her interventions were effective in minimizing depression symptoms among participants.To assess the effectiveness of the treatment program, she administered a depression inventory prior to treatment and after treatment.She hypothesized that depression scores would be lower at time two compared to time one.She then compared the mean differences between the two groups and found that the treatment was effective.The dependent variable in this study is:
A) depression scores.
B) gender.
C) age.
D) time.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable being measured and tested in the study. In this case, the researcher is interested in the change in depression scores, making depression scores the dependent variable. Gender and age are not relevant to the study's hypothesis or research question, and time is not technically a variable but rather the factor that allows for a before-and-after comparison of depression scores.

A Clinical Researcher Was Interested in Determining Whether Her Interventions