dependent variable

(noun)

In an equation, the variable whose value depends on one or more variables in the equation.

Related Terms

Examples of dependent variable in the following topics:

  • Formulating the Hypothesis

    • In this hypothesis, the independent (causal) variable is civic engagement and the dependent variables (or effects) are the qualities of government.
    • For example, if the hypothesis is a causal explanation, it will involve at least one dependent variable and one independent variable.
    • The dependent variable is the effect, or thing that is changed.
    • In other words, the value of a dependent variable depends on the value of the independent variable.
    • If there is no relationship, then the value of the dependent variable does not depend on the value of the independent variable.

  • Correlation and Causation

    • A positive correlation means that as one variable increases (e.g., ice cream consumption) the other variable also increases (e.g., crime).
    • Causation refers to a relationship between two (or more) variables where one variable causes the other.
    • change in the independent variable must precede change in the dependent variable in time
    • it must be shown that a different (third) variable is not causing the change in the two variables of interest (a.k.a., spurious correlation)
    • This diagram illustrates the difference between correlation and causation, as ice cream consumption is correlated with crime, but both are dependent on temperature.

  • The Scientific Method

    • If the hypothesis is a causal explanation, it will involve at least one dependent variable and one independent variable.
    • A dependent variable is a variable whose values or qualities are presumed to change as a result of the independent variable.
    • In other words, the value or quality of a dependent variable depends on the value of the independent variable.
    • If there is no relationship, then the value or quality of the dependent variable does not depend on the value of the independent variable.
    • Promotion would be the dependent variable.

  • Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions

    • In this case, it's because of a third variable: temperature.
    • Regression analyses measure relationships between dependent and independent variables, taking the existence of unknown parameters into account.
    • More specifically, regression analysis helps one understand how the typical value of the dependent variable changes when any one of the independent variables is varied, while the other independent variables are held fixed.
    • Qualitative data can involve coding--that is, key concepts and variables are assigned a shorthand, and the data gathered is broken down into those concepts or variables .
    • It is important to remember, however, that correlation does not imply causation; in other words, just because variables change at a proportional rate, it does not follow that one variable influences the other .

  • Three Demographic Variables

    • The basics of demographic population growth depend on the rate of natural increase (births versus deaths) and net migration.
    • Human population growth depends on the rate of natural increase, or the fertility rate minus the mortality rate, and net migration.
    • As this equation shows, population change depends on three variables: (1) the natural increase changes seen in birth rates, (2) the natural decrease changes seen in death rates, and (3) the changes seen in migration.

  • Regressing position on attributes

    • Our dependent attribute, as before, is the eigenvector centrality of the individual political donors.
    • Figure 18.14 shows the dialog to specify the dependent and the multiple independent vectors.
    • Note that all of the independent variables need to be entered into a single data set (with multiple columns).
    • The correlation matrix shows a very high collinearity between being in the workers group (variable 3) and participation in coalitions (variable 4).
    • The measures that are analyzed as independent and dependent may be either relational or non-relational.

  • Global Stratification and Inequality

    • A significant percentage of Indian jobs, however, are tied to American and Japanese technology firms, indicating that India's economy suffers from being dependent on foreign, dominant nations.
    • A person's SES is usually determined by their income, occupational prestige, wealth, and educational attainment, though other variables are sometimes considered.
    • Significantly, because SES measures a range of variables, it does not merely measure economic inequality.
    • Inequality occurs when a person's position in the social hierarchy is tied to different access to resources, and it largely depends on differences in wealth .
    • Secondly, dependency theory blames colonialism and neocolonialism (continuing economic dependence on former colonial countries) for global poverty.

  • Multiple relations

    • In a conventional actor-by-trait data set, each actor is described by many variables (and each variable is realized in many actors).
    • In a study concerned with economic dependency and growth, for example, I could collect data on the exchange of performances by musicians between nations -- but it is not really likely to be all that relevant.

  • Stratification

    • A person's SES is usually determined by their income, occupational prestige, wealth, and educational attainment, though other variables are sometimes considered.
    • Inequality largely depends on differences in wealth.
    • Second, dependency theory blames colonialism and neocolonialism (continuing economic dependence on former colonial countries) for global stratification.
    • According to dependency theory, the key to reversing inequality is to relieve former colonies of their debts so that they can benefit from their own industry and resources.
    • Cape Verde, Haiti, and Honduras) are dependent on core countries for capital, and have very little industrialization and urbanization.

  • Introduction

    • Structural analysis is not particularly concerned with systems of categories (i.e. variables), that are based on descriptions of similarity of individual attributes (some radical structural analysts would even argue that such categories are not really "sociological" at all).
    • Structural analysts seek to define categories and variables in terms of similarities of the patterns of relations among actors, rather than attributes of actors.
    • That is, the definition of a category, or a "social role" or "social position" depends upon its relationship to another category.
    • Note that the meaning of "worker" depends upon a capitalist -- and vice versa.