MCAT® ExamPsychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of BehaviorHard
A researcher is studying the phenomenon of stereotype threat among female students in STEM fields. They hypothesize that informing female students that their gender typically performs worse on a particular math test will lead to lower scores compared to a control group not given this information. The scores on the math test for both groups represent the:
- ADependent variable
- BMediating variable
- CModerating variable
- DIndependent variable
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Dependent variable
The scores on the math test are the outcome being measured, which is expected to change based on the manipulation (the information given about gender performance). This makes the math test scores the dependent variable.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. A mediating variable explains the relationship between the IV and DV, but it's not the directly measured outcome of interest here.
- C. A moderating variable would influence the strength or direction of the relationship between the IV and DV, but it's not the outcome itself.
- D. The independent variable is the information given to the students (whether they are told about gender performance differences).
Dependent Variable
The variable that is measured or observed in an experiment; its value is expected to change in response to the independent variable.
- It is the 'effect' in a cause-and-effect relationship
- Its value depends on the independent variable
- Often represented on the y-axis of a graph
Memory trick: I manipulate, D depends on me.