WHAT ARE INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT

VARIABLES?
Question: What's a variable?

Answer: A variable is an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category you are
trying to measure. There are two types of variables-independent and dependent.

Question: What's an independent variable?

Answer: An independent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is a variable that stands alone and isn't
changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone's age might be an
independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much
television they watch) aren't going to change a person's age. In fact, when you are looking for some kind of
relationship between variables you are trying to see if the independent variable causes some kind of change
in the other variables, or dependent variables.

Question: What's a dependent variable?

Answer: Just like an independent variable, a dependent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is
something that depends on other factors. For example, a test score could be a dependent variable because
it could change depending on several factors such as how much you studied, how much sleep you got the
night before you took the test, or even how hungry you were when you took it. Usually when you are
looking for a relationship between two things you are trying to find out what makes the dependent variable
change the way it does.

Many people have trouble remembering which is the independent variable and which is the dependent
variable. An easy way to remember is to insert the names of the two variables you are using in this
sentence in they way that makes the most sense. Then you can figure out which is the independent variable
and which is the dependent variable:

(Independent variable) causes a change in (Dependent Variable) and it isn't possible that (Dependent
Variable) could cause a change in (Independent Variable).

For example:

(Time Spent Studying) causes a change in (Test Score) and it isn't possible that (Test Score) could cause a
change in (Time Spent Studying).

We see that "Time Spent Studying" must be the independent variable and "Test Score" must be the
dependent variable because the sentence doesn't make sense the other way around.

What Is a Dependent Variable?

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or tested in
an experiment.1
 For example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts test scores, the dependent variable would be
the participants' test scores, since that is what is being measured.

In a psychology experiment, researchers are looking at how changes in

the independent variable cause changes in the dependent
variable.2 Manipulating independent variables and measuring the effect on
dependent variables allows researchers to draw conclusions about cause and
effect relationships.
The dependent variable is dubbed dependent because it is thought to
depend in some way on the variations of the independent variable.

How to Identify the Dependent Variable

Experiments can range from simple to quite complicated, so sometimes it
can be a bit confusing to learn how to identify the independent and
dependent variables.

Here are a few things you can do to help you remember which is which:

Which Variable Is the Experimenter Measuring?

If it is something that varies in response to changes in another variable, it is
a dependent variable.3 In many psychology experiments and studies, the
dependent variable is a measure of a certain aspect of a participant's
behavior.

In an experiment looking at how sleep impacts test performance, the

dependent variable would test performance because it's a measure of the
participants' behavior.

Which Variable Does the Experimenter Manipulate?

The independent variable is deemed independent because the experimenters
are free to vary it as they need. This might mean changing the amount,
duration, or type of independent variable that the participants in the study
receive as a treatment or condition.4
One way to help identify the dependent variable is to remember that
it depends on the independent variable. When researchers make changes to
the independent variable, they then measure any resulting changes to the
dependent variable.

How to Choose Dependent Variables

How do researchers determine what a good dependent variable will be?
There are a few key features that a scientist might consider:

Stability
Stability is often a good sign of a quality dependent variable. If the same
experiment is repeated with the same participants, conditions, and
experimental manipulations, the effects on the dependent variable should be
very close to what they were the first time around.5
Complexity
A researcher might also choose dependent variables based on the
complexity of their study. While some studies may only have one dependent
variable and one independent variable, it is also possible to have several of
each type of variable.6
Researchers might want to learn how changes in a single independent
variable affect several distinct dependent variables.
For example, imagine an experiment where a researcher wants to learn how
the messiness of a room influences people's creativity levels. However, the
research might also want to see how the messiness of a room might
influence a person's mood. The messiness of a room would be the
independent variable, but the study would have two dependent variables:
levels of creativity and mood.

Examples of Dependent Variables

As you are learning to identify the dependent variables in an experiment, it
can be helpful to look at examples. Here are just a few examples of
psychology research using dependent and independent variables.

 How does the amount of time spent studying influence test

scores? In this example, the amount of studying would be the independent
variable and the test scores would be the dependent variable. The test scores
vary based on the amount of studying prior to the test. The researcher could
change the independent variable by instead evaluating how age or gender
influence test scores.
 How does stress influence memory? In this example, the dependent
variable might be scores on a memory test and the independent variable
might be exposure to a stressful task.
 How does a specific therapeutic technique influence the symptoms of
psychological disorders? In this case, the dependent variable might be
defined as the severity of the symptoms a patient is experiencing, while the
independent variable would be the use of a specific therapy method.
 Does listening to classical music help students earn better grades on
a math exam? In this example, the scores on the math exams are the
dependent variable and the classical music is the independent variable.
 How long does it take people to respond to different sounds? In this
example, the length of time it takes participants to respond to a sound is the
dependent variable, while the sounds are the independent variable.
 Do first-born children learn to speak at a younger age than second-
born children? In this example, the dependent variable is the age at which
the child learns to speak and the independent variable is whether the child is
first- or second-born.
 How does alcohol use influence reaction times while driving? The
amount of alcohol a participant ingests is the independent variable, while
their performance on the driving test is the dependent variable.
A Word From Verywell
Understanding what a dependent variable is and how it is used can be
helpful for interpreting different types of research that you encounter in
different settings. When you are trying to determine which variables are
which, remember that the independent variables are the cause while the
dependent variables are the effect.

In research, variables are any characteristics that can take on different values, such as

height, age, species, or exam score.

In scientific research, we often want to study the effect of one variable on another one.
For example, you might want to test whether students who spend more time studying
get better exam scores.

The variables in a study of a cause-and-effect relationship are called the independent

and dependent variables.

 The independent variable is the cause. Its value is independent of other

variables in your study.
 The dependent variable is the effect. Its value depends on changes in the
independent variable.

The independent variable is usually applied at different levels to see how the outcome differs.

You can apply just two levels (e.g. the new medication and the placebo) in order to find out if the
independent variable has an effect at all.

You can also apply multiple levels (e.g. three different doses of the new medication) to find
out how the independent variable affects the dependent variable.
Variables in other types of research
Outside of an experimental setting, researchers often cannot directly manipulate or change the
independent variable that they’re interested in.

Instead, they must find already-existing examples of the independent variable, and investigate
how changes in this variable affect the dependent variable.

Research exampleYou are interested in whether a higher minimum wage impacts employment rates.

You can’t control the minimum wage yourself. Instead, you look at a state that raised its
minimum wage last year, and compare it to a neighboring state that did not.

 Your independent variable is the minimum wage.

 Your dependent variable is the employment rate.
By comparing the difference in outcomes between the two states (and accounting for other
factors), you can investigate whether the change in minimum wage had an effect on employment
rates.
In non-experimental research, it’s more difficult to establish a definite cause-and-effect
relationship, because other variables that you haven’t measured might be influencing the
changes. These are known as confounding variables.

In types of research where the exact relationship between variables is less certain, you might use
different terms for independent and dependent variables.

Other names for independent variables

Sometimes, the variable you think is the cause might not be fully independent – it might be
influenced by other variables. In this case, one of these terms is more appropriate:

 Explanatory variables (they explain an event or outcome)

 Predictor variables (they can be used to predict the value of a dependent variable)
 Right-hand-side variables (they appear on the right-hand side of a regression equation).

Other names for dependent variables

Dependent variables are also known by these terms:

 Response variables (they respond to a change in another variable)

 Outcome variables (they represent the outcome you want to measure)
 Left-hand-side variables (they appear on the left-hand side of a regression equation)

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Visualizing independent and dependent variables

Researchers often use charts or graphs to visualize the results of their studies. The norm is to
place the independent variable on the “x”or horizontal axis and the dependent variable on the “y”
or vertical axis.

For instance, how might a graph look from our example study on the impact of a new medication
on blood pressure?
 
 
 

Frequently asked questions

What are independent and dependent variables?

Why are independent and dependent variables important?

What is an example of an independent and a dependent variable?

Can a variable be both independent and dependent?

Can I include more than one independent or dependent variable in a study?

Variables

The purpose of all research is to describe and explain variance in the world.

Variance is simply the difference; that is, variation that occurs naturally in the
world or change that we create as a result of a manipulation. Variables are
names that are given to the variance we wish to explain.

A variable is either a result of some force or is itself the force that causes a
change in another variable. In experiments, these are
called dependent and independent variables respectively.
 

When a researcher gives an active medication to one group of people and

a placebo, or inactive medication, to another group of people, the independent
variable is the medication treatment. Each person's response to the active
medication or placebo is called the dependent variable.

This could be many things depending upon what the medication is for, such
as high blood pressure or muscle pain. Therefore, in experiments, a
researcher manipulates an independent variable to determine if it causes a
change in the dependent variable.

As we learned earlier in a descriptive study, variables are not manipulated.

They are observed as they naturally occur and then associations between
variables are studied. In a way, all the variables in descriptive studies are
dependent variables because they are studied in relation to all the other
variables that exist in the setting where the research is taking place. However,
in descriptive studies, variables are not discussed using the terms
"independent" or "dependent." Instead, the names of the variables are used
when discussing the study. For example, there is more diabetes in people of
Native American heritage than people who come from Eastern Europe. In a
descriptive study, the researcher would examine how diabetes (a variable) is
related to a person's genetic heritage (another variable).

Definition: A variable is either a result of some force or it is the force that

causes a change in another variable. In experiments, these are called
dependent and independent variables respectively.

Case Examples for Independent and Dependent Variables

Example 1:
 In an experimental study looking at classical music exposure and
reading ability in children, the researcher divided the children into two groups
(Groups A and B). In Group A, the children listened to Mozart for one hour
every day for one month. In Group B, parents were instructed to refrain from
playing classical music around the child for one month. At the end of the
month, all children were given a reading comprehension test. Those who
listened to Mozart daily (Group A) scored significantly higher on the reading
test. In this case, the reading comprehension test score is the dependent
variable and exposure to Mozart’s music is the independent variable. This is
because the test score is dependent on whether or not the child listens to
Mozart’s music. The independent variable, exposure to Mozart’s music,
is independent because it is something that can be manipulated or changed
by the researcher.

Example 2:

In a study with a similar design as the previous example, researchers

looked at the effects of nutrition on reading ability. In Group A, children ate at
least three ounces of dark green vegetables every day for one month. In
Group B, children were fed their regular diet. At the end of the month, the
children took a reading comprehension test. Those who ate the green
vegetables every day for one month (Group A) did not vary in their test scores
when compared to Group B.

Section 1: Discussion Questions

1. In the second example what is the independent variable? Why?

2. In the second example, what is the dependent variable? Why?

3. Identify which variables are dependent and independent in the

following examples:

Example:
 a. Physical activity and weight loss

Dependent Variable: weight loss

Independent Variable: physical activity

a. Positive feedback and self confidence

Dependent Variable: 

Independent Variable: 

b. Headache and aspirin

Dependent Variable: 

Independent Variable: 

c. Muscle mass and weight-training

Dependent Variable: 

Independent Variable: 

d. Calcium consumption and bone density

Dependent Variable: 

Independent Variable: 

e. Blood pressure and salt intake

Dependent Variable: 

Independent Variable: 

Variables are important to understand because they are the basic units of the
information studied and interpreted in research studies. Researchers carefully
analyze and interpret the value(s) of each variable to make sense of how
things relate to each other in a descriptive study or what has happened in an
experiment.
Definition: Variables are characteristics studied in research that can take on
different values (e.g., weight, height, exposure to a substance, demographics
(i.e., where you live, your ethnicity, how much income you have, medical
background).

Case Example for Descriptive Study Variables

See if you can identify the variables that are under investigation in the
following descriptive study:

Many children who live in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, are
developing asthma. In a descriptive study investigating this problem, parents
whose children have asthma are asked about whether they smoke around
their child, whether they live near a freeway, whether their child regularly sees
a healthcare provider, their family income level and also if there is a history in
their family of asthma. Prior research has shown that these factors may have
an influence on the development of asthma in children.

Section 1: Discussion Questions

1. What are the variables that are under investigation in this study?
 2. If you were the researcher, what other variables would you study
to see if it may contribute to developing asthma? Why?

3. Given the variables presented in the example and the variables

that you thought of, why would these variables be useful to the
researcher?