What is the role of a dependent variable in research?

The role of a dependent variable is to serve as the outcome or response variable that researchers measure to assess the effects of changes made to another variable, typically known as the independent variable. In research, the dependent variable is influenced by the variations in the independent variable. For example, if a researcher is testing how different amounts of sunlight affect plant growth, the growth of the plants would be the dependent variable, as it is expected to change in response to the different levels of sunlight exposure.

This understanding is critical in establishing cause-and-effect relationships within experiments. The dependent variable allows researchers to track outcomes and determine whether their hypothesis about the relationship between the variables holds true. By focusing on how changes in the independent variable lead to changes in the dependent variable, researchers can derive meaningful insights from their studies.