Ralph is an experimental psychologist. He studies rat behavior. He runs rats through a maze, under different scent conditions. At the end of the maze is cheese. Sometimes the maze is lit, and sometimes it is dark
During each run, the rates are subjected to different scents (cat pheromone, the smell of cheddar cheese, tiger pheromone, the smell of rat feces) at crucial decision-points in the maze. Ralph measures the time it takes the rats to finish the maze. Which of the following could be considered independent variables in this study? (Select all that apply.)
a. The rats
b. Light versus dark
c. Ralph
d. The amount of time the rats take to finish the maze
e. The scents
f. The cheese at the end of the maze
g. Rat behavior
ANS: B, E
An independent variable is a stimulus or activity that is manipulated or varied by the researcher to create an effect on the dependent variable. The independent variable is also called an intervention, treatment, or experimental variable. In this example, how long in seconds it takes the rats to run through the maze is the dependent variables and different scents are independent variables; light versus dark are the two experimental conditions, and these could also affect the outcome, so they could also be considered independent variables.
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