Final answer:
In a study where gender determines the enjoyment of watching horror movies, the enjoyment of watching horror movies is the dependent variable, as it is the outcome that is expected to change based on the independent variable of gender.
Step-by-step explanation:
When researchers find that the gender of a person determines how much they enjoy watching horror movies, enjoyment of watching horror movies would be the dependent variable. This is because it is the variable that is expected to change as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable, which in this case is gender.
An experiment's dependent variable is what the researcher measures to see how much effect the independent variable had. In sociological studies, an independent variable like gender, religion, or level of education could affect various dependent variables such as rate of income, family size, or social class, respectively.
The dependent variable is essentially the outcome of interest that researchers are trying to understand or predict, while the independent variable is the one they manipulate or classify people by in their study.