PRACTICE IN IDENTIFYING VARIABLES

Identify the independent variable and dependent variable(s) in the following experiments.

1.  A researcher was interested in the effects of reward on intrinsic motivation.  Some children were told that they would be given a special award for drawing with magic markers (an activity they already enjoyed).  Other children were simply asked to draw with the magic markers.  One week later, the children were unobtrusively observed for how much time they spent drawing with the markers.  The children who expected and received a reward for drawing with the markers were less likely to draw with them later.

Independent Variable: Expected award or not

Dependent Variable: Time spent drawing with markers

2.  In an investigation of the fundamental attribution error, subjects were given a speech to read that either favored or opposed Fidel Castro, the communist leader of Cuba.  Subjects were told that the speech was written by a student who had been assigned to the position taken in the paper (that is, the student writing the speech had no choice on which position to take).  Nevertheless, subjects believed that the student who wrote the pro-Castro speech had positive attitudes toward Castro, while subjects who read the anti-Castro paper believed the writer had negative attitudes toward Castro.

Independent Variable: Heard speech favoring or opposing Castro

Dependent Variable: Rating of speech writer’s attitude

3.  Within a classroom setting, subjects were asked to listen to a guest instructor.  All subjects were given a description of the instructor.  Some subjects read a description containing the phrase “People who know him consider him to be a rather cold person...”, while other people read a description where the word “warm” was substituted for the word cold (otherwise, the descriptions were identical).  After the lecture, subjects were asked to rate the instructor.  Subjects who were told the instructor was warm gave him more favorable ratings compared to subjects who were told that the instructor was cold.

Independent Variable: Description of instructor as warm or cold

Dependent Variable: Ratings of instructor

4.  Subjects watched a videotape of a woman taking an SAT-like test.  In all cases, she correctly answered 15 out of 30 questions.  But subjects who observed a pattern of initial success followed by failure perceived the woman as more intelligent than did those who observed the opposite pattern of failure followed by success.

Independent Variable: Pattern of success and failure

Dependent Variable: Intelligence rating

5.  Subjects read about a woman who used a particular title, and then rated her on a number of traits.  When the woman used the title Ms. rather than Miss or Mrs., she was assumed to be more assertive, achievement oriented, and dynamic, but also cold, unpopular, and unlikely to have a happy marriage.

Independent Variable: Type of title used

Dependent Variable: Rating of woman

6.  People were randomly approached on the street by a stranger and were asked to use his camera to take a picture of him for a school project.  For half of the subjects, the camera didn’t work--the stranger looked concerned, said that the camera was rather delicate, asked the subject if he touched any of the dials, and announced that it would have to be fixed.  For the other half of the subjects, the camera worked fine.  Further down the street, a woman dropped a file folder of papers.  Forty percent of the subjects who had no broken-camera experience helped the woman pick up her papers, while 80% of the subjects who were led to believe that they broke the woman’s camera helped. 

Independent Variable: Whether subjects believed they broke a camera or not

Dependent Variable: Helping pick up papers

Back to SAU Home

Back to SAU Psychology Home

Back to Dr. Anderson Home