Question

A researcher is interested in studying the effects of a new natural sleeping aid on children ages 5–10. She will randomly assign half of the participants to take the sleeping aid an hour before their bedtime, while the other half will not take the sleeping aid. She will have parents record the number of hours their child slept each night over the course of four months.



Which of the following elements is the dependent variable in this study?



Option #1: the natural sleeping aid



Option #2: the age of the participant



Option #3: the number of hours slept

Answer 1

The dependent variable in this study is **Option #3: the number of hours slept**. This is because the researcher is measuring the effect of the natural sleeping aid on the hours of sleep, which will change based on whether or not the children take the sleeping aid.