Final answer:
The routine activities theory revolves around three variables: a potential offender, a suitable target, and no effective guardian. Sociological studies explore such relationships between independent and dependent variables to understand human behavior patterns.
Step-by-step explanation:
The routine activities theory in sociology depends on the interaction of three primary variables: a likely offender, a suitable target, and the absence of a capable guardian. This theory suggests that for a crime to occur, these three elements must converge in space and time. In the context of research, assigning variables like the amount of extracurricular activities as an independent variable could explain changes in another variable, like academic performance, making it a dependent variable. Sociological studies investigate these relationships to understand human behavior, applying operational definitions to ensure clarity and reliability. For example, one might explore how gender (independent variable) affects the rate of income (dependent variable) or how self-esteem (independent variable) influences hygiene practices (dependent variable).