Most babies admitted to the NICU are premature (born before 37 weeks of pregnancy), have low birth weight (less than 5.5 pounds), or have a medical condition that requires special care.
Independent variable. An independent variable is used in statistics to predict or explain a dependent variable. For example, Age and Gender might be used as independent variables to predict the age of death or life expectancy (dependent variables). In experimental designs, the independent variables are manipulated by the researcher (e.g., different dosages of a drug).
A variable is anything that can vary, i.e. changed or be changed, such as memory, attention, time taken to perform a task, etc. Variable are given a special name that only applies to experimental investigations. One is called the dependent variable and the other the independent variable. In an experiment, the researcher is looking for the possible effect on the dependent variable that might be caused by changing the independent variable. â¢ Independent variable (IV) : Variable the experimenter manipulates (i.e. changes) â assumed to have a direct effect on the dependent variable.