In: Statistics and Probability
Determine the independent and dependent variable in each of the following scenarios:
a. The relationship between smoking and lip cancer
b. The relationship between income and the highest level of education attained -
a) Here, smoking is the independent variable and lip cancer is the dependent variable.
Since the independent variable is the one which is controlled or observed to change independently and the dependent variable is the one which is being tested or measured, we have different people with different smoking habits (explanatory variable) on which the occurrence of lip cancer (response variable) depends.
b) Here, the highest level of education received is the independent variable and income is the dependent variable.
We stated the basic difference between independent and dependent variables in part (a), following which we say in this part that the income being received by an individual often depends on the amount of education he/she has received. Which suggests considering income (response variable) as a dependent variable being controlled by the highest level of education (the explanatory or independent variable).