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Independent Variable

In an experiment usually, there are dependent and independent variables. The independent variable is the one to which some kind of treatment is applied. That changes the independent variable in a way so that the researcher could see how much if any the dependent variable changes in effect.

For example one might conduct research on how much does human nervousness (or energy) (variable 1, dependent variable) is changed by the amount of sugar (variable 2, independent variable) in an espresso shot.

In this experiment, the independent variable is the amount of sugar in the shot, as it is being manipulated directly by the researchers, and it is (presumably) what will change the other (and dependent) variable (the behavior).

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