Dr. Jones is interested in studying how indoor lighting can influence people's moods during the winter. A sample of 100 househol
ds is selected. Fifty of the homes are randomly assigned to the bright-light condition where Dr. Jones replaces all the lights with 100-watt bulbs. In the other 50 houses, all the lights are changed to 60-watt bulbs. After two months, Dr. Jones measures the level of depression for the people living in the houses. In this study, the independent variable is_________
Independent variable: In a psychological experiment, the independent variable is one that is being changed or manipulated. The experimenter has the authority to change and control the independent variable and it possesses a direct effect on the dependent variable in a given experiment.
Example: The independent variable is best described in terms of time and age.
In this study, the independent variable is the brightness of the lights.
