A research team is investigating the effects of social media use on adolescent mental health. They hypothesize that teens who spend more than 1 hour a day using social media platforms will have poorer mental health compared to adolescents who spend less than 1 hour. In this research study, what is the independent variable?

• A. Social media use.
• B. Mental health.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Identify the variables involved in the research study. Here, the study looks at social media use and adolescent mental health.
2. Understand the difference between independent and dependent variables: the independent variable is what the researcher manipulates or categorizes to observe its effect, while the dependent variable is the outcome being measured.
3. In this study, the researchers are comparing groups based on the amount of social media use (more than 1 hour vs. less than 1 hour), so social media use is the variable that is being used to differentiate groups.
4. The mental health of adolescents is what the researchers are measuring to see if it changes based on social media use, making mental health the dependent variable.
5. Therefore, the independent variable is the amount of social media use, as it is the factor that is hypothesized to influence mental health.