Arizona State University (ASU) PSY290 Research Methods Exam 1 Practice

In experimental research, the independent variable is the factor that researchers manipulate to observe its effect on the dependent variable. In the case of Professor Nakum's memory experiment, the type of word list is the independent variable because it represents the different conditions or categories being tested to see how they influence the participants’ ability to recall words. This manipulation allows the researcher to explore whether different types of word lists (for example, emotionally charged words versus neutral words) impact memory recall, which in this context would be measured by the number of words recalled, the dependent variable. By changing the type of word list, the researcher can directly assess its effect on participants' performance in recalling those words.