Read and analyze the research topic. Identify the Independent Variable and Dependent Variables.

1. In a study to determine whether how long a student sleeps affects test scores.
2. You want to compare brands of paper towels, to see which holds the most liquid.
3. Assessing the impact of exposure to classical music on math scores.
4. Investing the impact of video games on teenagers’ memory and mood.
5. Observing the effect of a healthy diet on weight loss.
6. An exercise physiologist wonders if carb loading the day before participating in endurance activities impacts
performance.
7. A scientist studies the impact of a drug on cancer. She administers the drug to a research group and a placebo to a
control group.
8. A researcher explores whether people who already speak multiple languages learn new languages faster than
people who only speak one language.
9. A researcher wants to know if education level impacts how much a person earns in their job. She studies the
amount of education a person has in their life to their current earnings.
10. A social scientist wonders if there is an association between a person's national origin and their wealth, measured
as net worth.
11. An educational researcher explores whether there is a link between the amount of time someone spends studying
and the grade they get in a particular class.
12. A human resources professional wonders if how much money a person earns can impact the extent to which an
individual experiences job satisfaction.
13. A medical researcher wonders if the amount of airline travels a person engages in impacts how likely they are to
catch influenza during flu season.
14. A social scientist explores if there is a link between socioeconomic status and the number of children someone
has.
15. A media studies researcher wonders if the amount of time a person spends watching television news contributes to
how much factual information people know about current events.

Answers:
1. In a study to determine whether how long a student sleeps affects test scores; the independent variable
is the length of time spent sleeping while the dependent variable is the test score.
2. You want to compare brands of paper towels, to see which holds the most liquid. The independent
variable in your experiment would be the brand of paper towel. The dependent variable would be the
amount of liquid absorbed by the paper towel.
3. In the experiment, test score in math exam was the dependent variable, and the exposure or lack thereof
to classical music was the independent variable.
4. In the experiment, while playing video games is your independent variable, the teenager’s memory and
mood are your two dependent variables.
5. In this case, different types of diet would be your different levels of the independent variable, while
weight loss is the outcome that makes it the dependent variable.
6. independent variable - quantity of carbohydrates consumed within a defined timeframe, dependent
variable - performance in an endurance activity
7. independent variable - administration of the drug (such as dosage or timing), dependent variable - the
drug's impact on cancer
8. independent variable - number of languages spoken, dependent variable - amount of time to master a
new language
9. independent variable - highest level of educational attainment, dependent variable - earnings (salary or
wages)
10. independent variable - a person's country of origin, dependent variable - a person's financial net worth
11. independent variable - amount of time spent studying for a particular class, dependent variable - grade in
the class
12. independent variable - compensation (salary or wages), dependent variable - job satisfaction
13. independent variable - amount of airline travel, dependent variable - influenza infections
14. independent variable - socioeconomic status, dependent variable - number of children
15. independent variable - amount of time a person watches TV news, dependent variable - how much
factual information a person knows about current events
Read and analyze the research topic. Identify the Independent Variable and Dependent Variables.
1. Is plant growth affected by the color of light (red, blue, green or yellow) in which it grows?
2. Which laundry detergent (tide, cheer, gain) removes stains more effectively?
3. Does the type of oil (corn, olive, or sunflower) affect the size of popcorn?
4. How do different amounts of salts affect the melting point of ice?
5. A large multinational cosmetics company wants to know if the color of a woman’s hair affects the level
of perceived attractiveness in males. So, they use Photoshop to manipulate the same image of a female
by altering the color of her hair: blonde, brunette, red, and brown.
6. After many claims that listening to Mozart will make you smarter, a group of education specialists
decides to put it to the test. So, first, they go to a nearby school in a middle-class neighborhood.
7. A company that specializes in essential oils wants to examine the effects of lavender on sleep quality.
They hire a sleep research lab to conduct the study. The researchers at the lab have their usual test
volunteers sleep in individual rooms every night for one week.
8. A chemicals company has developed three different versions of their concrete mix. Each version
contains a different blend of specially developed chemicals. The company wants to know which version
is the strongest.
9. People in the pizza business know that the crust is key. Many companies, large and small, will keep their
recipe a top secret. Before rolling out a new type of crust, the company decides to conduct some
research on consumer preferences.
10. Some people take vitamins every day. A group of health scientists decides to conduct a study to
determine if taking vitamins improves health.

Read and analyze the research topic. Identify the Independent Variable and Dependent Variables.
1. Is plant growth affected by the color of light (red, blue, green or yellow) in which it grows?
2. Which laundry detergent (tide, cheer, gain) removes stains more effectively?
3. Does the type of oil (corn, olive, or sunflower) affect the size of popcorn?
4. How do different amounts of salts affect the melting point of ice?
5. A large multinational cosmetics company wants to know if the color of a woman’s hair affects the level
of perceived attractiveness in males. So, they use Photoshop to manipulate the same image of a female
by altering the color of her hair: blonde, brunette, red, and brown.
6. After many claims that listening to Mozart will make you smarter, a group of education specialists
decides to put it to the test. So, first, they go to a nearby school in a middle-class neighborhood.
7. A company that specializes in essential oils wants to examine the effects of lavender on sleep quality.
They hire a sleep research lab to conduct the study. The researchers at the lab have their usual test
volunteers sleep in individual rooms every night for one week.
8. A chemicals company has developed three different versions of their concrete mix. Each version
contains a different blend of specially developed chemicals. The company wants to know which version
is the strongest.
9. People in the pizza business know that the crust is key. Many companies, large and small, will keep their
recipe a top secret. Before rolling out a new type of crust, the company decides to conduct some
research on consumer preferences.
10. Some people take vitamins every day. A group of health scientists decides to conduct a study to
determine if taking vitamins improves health.
Answers:
1. Independent, color of light. Dependent, plant growth
2. Independent, type of laundry detergent. Dependent, stain removal
3. Independent, type of oil. Dependent, size of popcorn
4. Independent, amount of salt. Dependent, melting point of ice
5. The independent variable is hair color, and the dependent variable is pupil dilation.
6. The independent variable is Mozart, and the dependent variable is exam scores.
7. The independent variable in this sleep study is lavender, and the dependent variable is the total amount
of time spent in deep sleep.
8. In this study, the independent variable is the concrete mixture, and the dependent variable is the amount
of weight at collapse.
9. The independent variable is the level of crust crunchiness, and the dependent variable is how much it
was liked.
10. In this highly unrealistic study, the independent variable is vitamins, and the dependent variable is
health, as measured by blood pressure and cholesterol levels.