Test Your Knowledge: Independent and Dependent Variables (IV vs. DV)

Question 1

1. What effect does a cancer diagnosis have on a teenager’s emotional well-being?

IV (Independent variable)
DV (Dependent variable)

Answer 1

ANSWER: IV (Independent variable)
The question concerns the effect of the diagnosis (the influence or cause) on teenagers’ emotional well-being (the outcome or effect).

Question 2

2. Among patients undergoing abdominal surgery, does a relaxation intervention reduce pain levels?

IV (Independent variable)
DV (Dependent variable)

Answer 2

ANSWER: DV (Dependent variable)
The question concerns the effect of the relaxation intervention (the cause or influence) on surgical patients’ pain levels (the outcome or effect).

Question 3

3. Among nurses on medical-surgical units, are lower amounts of daily sleep associated with a higher incidence of medication errors?

IV (Independent variable)
DV (Dependent variable)

Answer 3

ANSWER: DV (Dependent variable)
The question concerns the effect of amounts of daily sleep (the cause or influence) on medication errors (the outcome or effect).

Question 4

4. In school-age children with asthma, is anger a trigger for an asthmatic attack?

IV (Independent variable)
DV (Dependent variable)

Answer 4

ANSWER: IV (Independent variable)
The question concerns the effect of children’s anger (the cause or influence) on the onset of an asthmatic attack (the outcome or effect).

Question 5

5. Do male versus female schizophrenics differ with regard to medication compliance?

IV (Independent variable)
DV (Dependent variable)

Answer 5

ANSWER: DV (Dependent variable)
The question concerns the effect of gender (the influence) on medication compliance (the outcome or effect).