A dependent variable is the outcome or result that researchers measure in an experiment or study to see if it changes in response to the manipulation of another variable, called the independent variable. The dependent variable "depends" on the independent variable because it is the effect or response that is observed after the independent variable is introduced or changed. In other words, the dependent variable is what is measured to assess the impact of the independent variable. For example, in a study testing whether music affects memory, the presence or absence of music is the independent variable, and the amount of information remembered (measured afterward) is the dependent variable. The dependent variable is always recorded after the independent variable has been manipulated to observe the cause-and-effect relationship between the two.

Key Characteristics of Dependent Variables

• It is the outcome or result measured in the study.
• It changes depending on the independent variable.
• Recorded after the independent variable is manipulated.
• It reflects the effect or response in a cause-and-effect relationship.

Example

• Independent variable: Type of therapy.
• Dependent variable: Level of depression symptoms measured after therapy.

This concept applies broadly across scientific research, where understanding how an independent variable influences a dependent variable is essential for hypothesis testing and drawing conclusions about causal relationships.