Question

In an experiment, researchers exposed half of the participants to loud noise during a memory-encoding task. The room was quiet for the other half of the participants. Later, all participants were given a memory test and the number of correct items recalled was obtained for each participant. What is the dependent variable? a) the number of items recalled

b) the noise level during the encoding task
c) the time interval between encoding and recall
d) the probability of being assigned to the two groups

Answer 1

The answer is b) the noise level during the encoding task.

Step-by-step explanation:

As the name implies, a dependent variable refers to a condition in an experiment that is modified for different subjects in order to understand its effects. In this instance, the experiment intented to test the effects of the noise. If the results showed, for example, that the group in the quiet room did better in the memory test, that would imply that memory retention is improved in silent conditions.