Professor Todd decides to test her hypothesis that eating chocolate prior to exams increases students' test scores. She randomly assigns students to two groups at the beginning of the semester
One group receives a bar of chocolate before each test, while the other group receives another type of candy. She compares their scores at the end of the year, and finds that the students who ate the chocolate scored an average of ten points higher on their exams. What is the dependent variable in this experiment?
A) Students' test scores
B) Chocolate bars
C) The students themselves
D) The professor
Answer: A
Rationale: In an experiment, the independent variable is the variable that the experimenter manipulates to distinguish between the different groups and the dependent variable is the variable which is measured and subsequently compared across all groups. The goal of an experiment is to determine if manipulating the independent variable affects the dependent variable. In this example, the goal is to determine if manipulating what students eat before an exam affects their performance.
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