A researcher tells a group of participants that as part of his experiment they are going to receive "painful" electrical shocks.He tells a second group that they will receive electric shocks,but that the shocks will only produce a "mild tickling" sensation.He asks participants in both groups whether they prefer to wait alone or with others while he sets up the shock machinery.In this experiment,what is the dependent variable?
A) painful shocks
B) mild shocks
C) participants' answers to the question
D) the shock machinery

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The dependent variable in this experiment is the participants' answers to the question of whether they prefer to wait alone or with others while the researcher sets up the shock machinery. This is because the researcher is interested in how the participants' anticipated level of pain (as described by the researcher) affects their social preferences. The level of shock (painful or mild) and the shock machinery itself are not the variables of interest in this experiment.

A Researcher Tells a Group of Participants That as Part