Independent Variable
In survey research, an independent variable is thought to influence, or at least be correlated with, another variable: the dependent variable. For example, researchers hypothesize that childhood exposure to violent television can lead to violent behavior in adulthood. In such a study, exposure to violent television programming as a child is an independent variable and violent behavior in adulthood is the dependent variable.
An independent variable is commonly denoted by an x and a dependent variable by y, with the implication that "x causes y" or, in the case of noncausal covariation, "x is related to y."
Determining whether one variable influences another is of central importance in many surveys and studies, as making this determination helps researchers accept or reject hypotheses and thereby build social science ...
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Reader's Guide
Ethical Issues In Survey Research
Measurement - Interviewer
Measurement - Mode
Measurement - Questionnaire
Measurement - Respondent
Measurement - Miscellaneous
Nonresponse - Item-Level
Nonresponse - Outcome Codes And Rates
Nonresponse - Unit-Level
Operations - General
Operations - In-Person Surveys
Operations - Interviewer-Administered Surveys
Operations - Mall Surveys
Operations - Telephone Surveys
Political And Election Polling
Public Opinion
Sampling, Coverage, And Weighting
Survey Industry
Survey Statistics
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