Matthew is interested in measuring whether there is a difference in time spent sleeping at night in a given week between elementary school-aged children and high school-aged students.In this study, the independent variable is MOST likely to be:
A) time spent sleeping.
B) time of day.
C) age.
D) a given week.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the variable being manipulated in the study, and in this case, it is the age of the participants. The researcher is interested in comparing elementary school-aged children to high school-aged students, and age is the variable that is being measured and compared. The other options (time spent sleeping, time of day, and a given week) may be important factors in this study but are not the independent variable being tested.

Matthew Is Interested in Measuring Whether There Is a Difference