Question

A professor is interested in studying how eating before an exam influences exam scores. She randomly assigns half of the class to get a snack, while the other half does not get a snack. She instructs the students to pick up and eat a snack provided by the department 1 hour before the exam starts. To eliminate the chance that students will snack even though they are not in the treatment group, the professor asks the students to remain in the room for an hour until the exam starts. She finds that students had a snack before the exam did better on the exam than when students did not have a snack.

• What is the independent variable?
• How many levels are there for the independent variable?
• What is the dependent variable?
• What  is the confound?

Answer 1

Answers:

What is the independent variable?

For the given research scenario, the independent variable is given as the amount of eating before an exam.

How many levels are there for the independent variable?

There are two levels for the independent variable. First level is eating a snack before exam and second level is do not eating a snack before exam.

What is the dependent variable?

The dependent variable for this research study is given as exam score.

What is the confound?

The confound for this study is the chance that students will snack even though they are not in the treatment group.