The proposed cause or predictor variable in an experiment is the

The proposed cause or predictor variable in an experiment is the

• A. Independent Variable (IV)
• B. Dependent Variable (DV)
• C. Authenticity
• D. Sample Generalizability

Answer: (A)

In experiments, you test how changing something you control affects an outcome you measure. The variable you deliberately manipulate to see if it causes a change is the independent variable. The thing you measure to see the effect is the dependent variable. Here, the proposed cause or predictor variable is exactly what you manipulate to test its influence, so it’s the independent variable. The other terms aren’t the right fit: the dependent variable is the outcome you observe, authenticity isn’t a standard experimental variable, and sample generalizability relates to how well results apply beyond the study, not to what you manipulate as a predictor.

In experiments, you test how changing something you control affects an outcome you measure. The variable you deliberately manipulate to see if it causes a change is the independent variable. The thing you measure to see the effect is the dependent variable. Here, the proposed cause or predictor variable is exactly what you manipulate to test its influence, so it’s the independent variable. The other terms aren’t the right fit: the dependent variable is the outcome you observe, authenticity isn’t a standard experimental variable, and sample generalizability relates to how well results apply beyond the study, not to what you manipulate as a predictor.