Final answer:
The independent variable is what is being manipulated to produce change in the target behavior. The dependent variable is the variable that is being affected by the change.
Step-by-step explanation:
The variable that is being manipulated to produce change in the target behavior is called the independent variable. It is also referred to as the manipulated variable because it is the variable that the researcher intentionally changes or controls in the experiment.
For example, in an experiment testing the effect of different temperatures on plant growth, the independent variable would be the temperature. The researcher would manipulate the temperature by exposing different groups of plants to different temperature conditions.
The dependent variable, on the other hand, is the variable that is being affected by the change in the independent variable. In the plant growth experiment, the dependent variable would be the plant growth itself. The researcher would measure and compare the growth of the plants in each temperature condition to determine the impact of temperature on plant growth.