NAME:__________________
DATE:________________
BELL:
Variables Worksheet
Identify the Independent Variable, Dependent Variable, Constants, the Control, and the
Hypothesis for each example.
Example: Subjects watched a videotape of a girl taking an SOL-like test. In all cases, she correctly
answered 15 out of 30 questions. But subjects who observed a pattern of getting correct answers
followed by wrong answers perceived the woman as more intelligent than did those who observed the
opposite pattern of failure followed by success.
Independent Variable: Pattern of success and failure
Dependent Variable: Intelligence rating
Constants: test, student, questions
Control: none, no true normal pattern to compare to
Hypothesis: If a student gets the first questions on a test wrong, then s/he will be perceived as less
intelligent.
1. A student thinks that orange juice will freeze faster than any other substance. She
fills identical containers with the same amount of different liquids, and then places each
in the freezer. She checks them every five minutes and discovers that the orange juice is
the last one to freeze and the water is the first to freeze.
Independent Variable
What is the item that the
experimenter is changing in
order to create a difference in
the outcome?
Dependent Variable
What is the item is expected to
change, due to the
independent variable?
Constants
Items that must remain the
same in order to truly see the
effect of the independent
variable.
Control
What item or group is going to
be used to compare the results
with (what is the normal way)?
Hypothesis
Create a statement that would
set up this experiment, written
as an “if… then…” statement.