Identify the independent variable in this study and determine whether it can be actively manipulated by the researchers. Justify your answer based on the nature of the variable.
Case context: A research team wants to investigate whether a person's level of extraversion affects how quickly they adapt to living in a new city. They plan to measure participants' baseline extraversion and then track their social adaptation over a six-month period.
Question: Identify the independent variable in this study and determine whether it can be actively manipulated by the researchers. Justify your answer based on the nature of the variable.
Sample answer: The independent variable is the level of extraversion. It cannot be actively manipulated because extraversion is a naturally occurring personality trait. Researchers cannot force a participant to become highly extraverted or introverted; they can only measure the existing levels of extraversion and compare groups, making it a non-manipulable variable.
Key points:
- The independent variable is the level of extraversion.
- Extraversion is a non-manipulable variable.
- Researchers cannot actively assign or change a participant's inherent personality trait.
Rubric: The answer must correctly identify the level of extraversion as the independent variable, state that it is non-manipulable, and explain that personality traits cannot be actively assigned or changed by the researcher.
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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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