Which quantity in this situation is the independent variable? Which quantity is the dependent variable? Describe how you know which is which in this situation

Answer 1

In this situation, the independent variable is the amount of sleep a person gets each night and the dependent variable is their level of alertness during the day.

The independent variable is the amount of sleep because it is the variable that is deliberately manipulated or controlled by the researcher. In this case, researchers can control the amount of sleep participants receive and observe how it affects their alertness.

The dependent variable is the level of alertness because it is the variable that is being measured and observed to see how it changes in response to the amount of sleep. In this case, the researchers are interested in seeing if the amount of sleep a person gets influences their level of alertness, so the level of alertness is the dependent variable.