Professor Simpson is interested if time spent studying is affected by the color of a room. She randomly assigns her students into four groups and has each group study in a room that has been painted a different color (red, yellow, green, or white). Professor Simpson then measures the number of minutes that each group spends studying. What is the independent and dependent variables in this study?

A)The color of the rooms

B)The number of minutes each group spends studying

C)The average score each group gets on their first exam

D)The age and gender of the students in each group

The independent variable (under the investigators' control)=A) The color of the rooms

The dependent variable: B)The number of minutes each group spends studying

Explanation:

Variables in A Field Study

Sometimes scientists observe certain phenomena and need to find the possible relationship between some variables and others. Then, they perform experiments where the independent variables are kept under control and measure their impact over the dependent variables.

The independent variables are usually under the control of the investigators but the dependent variables will remain unknown until the measurements are done and analyzed.

In this situation, Professor Simpson wants to know the influence of the colors of the rooms on the time the students spend studying. She selects four different colors (red, yellow, green, or white) and expects to measure the number of minutes that each group spend studying.

The independent variable (under the investigators' control)=A) The color of the rooms

The dependent variable: B)The number of minutes each group spends studying