Question

in a study of the effects of various brands of ice cream on weight gain, the type of ice cream consumed represents the
independent variable.
dependent variable.
random variable.
placebo.
control variable.
question 13 (1 point)
your professor stated that stress can lead to heart disease. she cited several medical studies to show that stress was linked to heart disease. therefore, she said we should avoid all forms of stress in order to ensure living a long and healthy life. the professor needs to rethink advice based on which of the following features of critical thinking?
all of the above
avoiding overgeneralization
confusing correlation with causation
avoiding oversimplification
considering alternative explanations

Explanation:

For the first question: In research, the independent variable is the factor manipulated to test its effect on another variable. Here, ice cream brand is the variable being changed to observe weight gain effects.
For the second question: The professor links stress (correlated with heart disease) to direct causation, then overgeneralizes to avoiding all stress, oversimplifies the relationship, and ignores alternative explanations. All listed critical thinking issues apply.

Answer:

First question: independent variable.
Second question: all of the above