levels of an independent variable (practice)

Practice Problems

Differentiating Between

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Problem #1

Some of your fellow school counselors feel that students who request to be in the same lunch period as their friends tend to perform worse academically. You collect the names of a sample of students who make this request and a sample of students who don’t make the request and then take an average of their GPAs to determine which group performs better.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the options

Some of your fellow school counselors feel that students who request to be in the same lunch period as their friends tend to perform worse academically. You collect the names of a sample of students who make this request and a sample of students who don’t make the request and then take an average of their GPAs to determine which group performs better.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the answer

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Some of your fellow school counselors feel that students who request to be in the same lunch period as their friends tend to perform worse academically. You collect the names of a sample of students who make this request and a sample of students who don’t make the request and then take an average of their GPAs to determine which group performs better.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Some of your fellow school counselors feel that students who request to be in the same lunch period as their friends tend to perform worse academically. You collect the names of a sample of students who make this request and a sample of students who don’t make the request and then take an average of their GPAs to determine which group performs better.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

ExplanationThe Independent Variable could be called “Lunch Request Status” with two levels: (1) Those who requested to be with their friends and (2) those who did not.

Some of your fellow school counselors feel that students who request to be in the same lunch period as their friends tend to perform worse academically. You collect the names of a sample of students who make this request and a sample of students who don’t make the request and then take an average of their GPAs to determine which group performs better.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

1st level

2nd Level

ExplanationThe Independent Variable could be called “Lunch Request Status” with two levels: (1) Those who requested to be with their friends and (2) those who did not.

Problem #2

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You just overheard a discussion among students in which they said that atheists suffer from depression more because they don’t believe in God. You are skeptical of this claim and set out to prove that one’s belief in God is not connected with levels of depression.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the answer

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

You just overheard a discussion among students in which they said that atheists suffer from depression more because they don’t believe in God. You are skeptical of this claim and set out to prove that one’s belief in God is not connected with levels of depression.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

You just overheard a discussion among students in which they said that atheists suffer from depression more because they don’t believe in God. You are skeptical of this claim and set out to prove that one’s belief in God is not connected with levels of depression.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the next problem

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Explanation

The independent variable could be “belief in God status” with two levels: The (1) presence or (2) absence of a belief in God.

You just overheard a discussion among students in which they said that atheists suffer from depression more because they don’t believe in God. You are skeptical of this claim and set out to prove that one’s belief in God is not connected with levels of depression.

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Belief / Unbelief = 2 levels

Problem #3

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Lately you have had several younger high school students talk to you about having suicidal thoughts. You have a hunch that such thoughts differ across grades (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors)

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the answer

Lately you have had several younger high school students talk to you about having suicidal thoughts. You have a hunch that such thoughts differ across grades (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors)

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Lately you have had several younger high school students talk to you about having suicidal thoughts. You have a hunch that such thoughts differ across grades (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors)

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Advance the slide to see the next problem

Lately you have had several younger high school students talk to you about having suicidal thoughts. You have a hunch that such thoughts differ across grades (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors)

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Explanation

The independent variable (grade in school) has four levels (freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors).

Problem #4

It is time for graduating seniors to begin applying for college and you want to know if acceptance rates differ across gender. You compare the average acceptance rates for males and females to see if there is a difference?

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

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It is time for graduating seniors to begin applying for college and you want to know if acceptance rates differ across gender. You compare the average acceptance rates for males and females to see if there is a difference?

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the answer

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

It is time for graduating seniors to begin applying for college and you want to know if acceptance rates differ across gender. You compare the average acceptance rates for males and females to see if there is a difference?

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

It is time for graduating seniors to begin applying for college and you want to know if acceptance rates differ across gender. You compare the average acceptance rates for males and females to see if there is a difference?

How many levels of the independent variable are therein this problem?

Explanation

The independent variable is gender with two levels: males & females

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Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Problem #5

You administer a time-management test before and after students take a course on improving their organizational skills to see if this course helps them improve in this area.

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You administer a time-management test before and after students take a course on improving their organizational skills to see if this course helps them improve in this area.

Advance the slide to see the answer

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

You administer a time-management test before and after students take a course on improving their organizational skills to see if this course helps them improve in this area.

Advance the slide to see the explanation

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

You administer a time-management test before and afterstudents take a course on improving their organizational skills to see if this course helps them improve in this area.

The End

Three or More Levels

Two Levels

Explanation

The independent variable is time with two levels: before and after