Nursing Research Q34
A nurse wants to study the effectiveness of meditation on people with anxiety disorder. Which variable would be most relevant to explore in the literature on this topic?
A. Use of meditation during childbirth.
B. Meditation techniques found to be effective.
C. Pain management for people with anxiety disorders.
D. Outcomes of meditation when used by elderly populations.
Correct Answer: B. Meditation techniques found to be effective.
Framing a study using variables is a common approach to organizing the elements of a social sciences research study in order to discover relevant and meaningful results. A variable in research simply refers to a person, place, thing, or phenomenon that the researcher is trying to measure in some way. The best way to understand the difference between a dependent and independent variable is that the meaning of each is implied by what the words tell us about the variable being used.
Option A: Dependent variable is the variable that depends on other factors that are measured. These variables are expected to change as a result of an experimental manipulation of the independent variable or variables. It is the presumed effect.
Option C: Independent variable the variable that is stable and unaffected by the other variables you are trying to measure. It refers to the condition of an experiment that is systematically manipulated by the investigator. It is the presumed cause.
Option D: Designation of the dependent and independent variable involves unpacking the research problem in a way that identifies a general cause and effect and classifying these variables as either independent or dependent.