Question

Describe the importance of assessing the role of the independent variable on the dependent variable. How do behavior graphs allow for analysis of this assessment?

Answer 1

Depending on the nature of relationship between certain factors, the variables associated are categorized as an independent or a dependent variable. The importance of variable itself depends on the experiment. Since both types of variables are required with their experimental data to be analyzed and arrive at a conclusion to the original hypothesis, and can be tested out for either it's rejection or acceptance, the analysis of how the independent variable is affecting dependent variable can be useful to us in providing us more insight. Also the effect of one independent variable on the dependent variable of interest may not be the same as that of the other independent variables under considerations.

Graphs are important to organize the information in a way that is easy to interpret. Plotting behavior plots can enable you discover some patterns by simply looking at them. Variability is the extent to which the behavior changes from from one data point to the next. If the behavior does not show much variability, it may not be necessary to collect as much data since the behavior is considered more stable and chances are that the behavior will remain at this level is high. The level of a behavior is the increase or decrease in a behavior from the beginning to the end of a condition. The bigger the level of change, the more powerful the effect of the intervention. Looking at the steepness and direction of the data points can also helps you make decisions about the trends.