Word Origin and History for attenuate Expand v. to make thin, to make less, 1520s, from Latin attenuatus enfeebled, weak, past participle of attenuare to make thin, lessen, diminish, from ad-to (see ad-) + tenuare make thin, from tenuis thin (see tenet).
Dependent Variable Definition: A dependent variable is the variable being tested in a scientific experiment. The dependent variable is 'dependent' on the independent variable. As the experimenter changes the independent variable, the change in the dependent variable is observed and recorded.
The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured in an experiment. For example, in a study looking at how tutoring impacts test scores, the dependent variable would be the participants' test scores. In a psychology experiment, researchers are looking at how changes in the independent variable cause changes in the dependent variable. One way to help identify the dependent variable is to remember that it depends on the independent variable.