Question

Trinity and her colleagues conduct an experiment on two groups of people to establish a relationship between caffeine intake and sleep. The participants in the first group consume five cups of coffee per day for a month, whereas the participants in the second group limit their coffee intake to two cups per day for a month. After a month, the participants in the first group report increased sleeplessness. In the context of social psychology, the dependent variable in this experiment is ___________

Answer 1

Answer:

The dependent variable is their degree of sleepiness.

Explanation:

In a correlational study, an independent variable is expected to affect a dependent variable. In the example, the level of caffeine intake is predicted to change the participants' sleep patterns. In other words, the degree of sleepiness depends on the caffeine levels.

An easy way to remember the difference is to say: Independent causes change in dependent.