Rhea Is in Graduate School Studying Social Psychology and Is

Multiple Choice

Rhea is in graduate school studying social psychology and is doing research on the social desirability bias. In her experiment, participants are first asked to fill out a survey about how honest they are. They are then told to take a seat in the hallway (where there is only one chair) before the next part of their experiment. Unbeknownst to the participants, the chair is modified and will break the moment someone sits on it. Also, the waiting room is being filmed by a hidden camera. Half of the participants sit on the chair and break it. For the other half of the participants, a confederate walks in at the same time as the participant and sits on the chair before the participant has the chance. The confederate breaks the chair and leaves immediately after without saying anything to the participant. In both cases, after 10 minutes, Rhea comes out and asks the participant about the chair and records whether they lied or not.
-What is the independent variable in Rhea's experiment

A) The participants' scores in the honesty survey.
B) Whether or not the participants lied after the chair broke.
C) Whether the participant or the confederate broke the chair.
D) How sincere the participants looked when they lied, if they lied.