In an experiment examining whether taking care of a plant leads to greater longevity in an elderly nursing home population, taking care of a plant would be considered the _____ variable and longevity of life would be considered the _____ variable.
A) independent; dependent
B) dependent; independent
C) dependent; control
D) control; independent

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

In this experiment, taking care of a plant is the independent variable because it is the condition being manipulated or changed by the researchers to observe its effect on the outcome. Longevity of life is the dependent variable because it is the outcome being measured to see if it changes in response to the manipulation of the independent variable.

In an Experiment Examining Whether Taking Care of a Plant