To allow for a proper comparison of the results, these need to be control variables-they need to be controlled, or kept the same. There are a number of other factors that could impact the growth of the plant, including things like the amount of sunlight and the amount of water. Just as explanatory variables have different names like predictor variables or independent variables, a response variable also has interchangeable names like dependent variable or criterion variable. The independent variable (the factor that you change) is the brand of plant food. A criterion variable is simply another name for a dependent variable or a response variable.This is the variable that is being predicted in a statistical analysis. The dependent variable is the final height of the sunflower. They are kept the same for every test or measurement in order to make sure that the results can be compared fairly.įor example, let’s say you’re trying to figure out which brand of plant food will help a sunflower grow to the tallest height.
Control variables are the factors that you do not change. Dependent variables are things that are affected by the changes that you make-the results of the tests (which depend on the independent variables). Independent variables are the factors that you change to see how they affect the results. In the context of scientific experiments, there are three different types of variables: dependent variables, independent variables, and control variables. It’s any factor that could change or be changed. In general, a variable is called a variable because it can vary. In the context of scientific experiments, a dependent variable is the thing or situation being studied that you expect to change based on the choices you make during the experiment.