Dr. Ford wants to test the hypothesis that room color can affect memory. To that end, he randomly assigns 10 students to a condition where they study a written passage while seated in a room that is painted a lilac color. The other 10 students study the passage while seated in an identical room that is painted bright orange. After both groups studied the passage for one hour, they are given a multiple-choice test over the material. Dr. Ford then calculates how many questions the students in both groups answer correctly. In Dr. Ford's study, the independent variable is ____.
A) the people who studied the passage while seated in the lilac room
B) the color of the room in which the students studied the passage
C) the test scores of the students
D) whether or not the students were able to recall information about the passage

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The independent variable in the study is the color of the room in which the students studied the passage. This is the variable that is being manipulated by Dr. Ford in order to test the hypothesis that room color can affect memory. The other answer choices (A, C, and D) are either dependent variables (C and D) or factors that are not being manipulated in the study (A).

Dr Ford Wants to Test the Hypothesis That Room Color