Dependent Variable (DV) is the variable in an experiment that is measured to assess the effect of the independent variable (intervention or treatment). In behavior analysis, the dependent variable is typically the behavior of interest, which changes as a result of the manipulation of the independent variable.
Example
A behavior analyst is studying how a token reinforcement system affects a student’s homework completion. The dependent variable is the number of homework assignments completed by the student, which is measured throughout the experiment. The independent variable, the token reinforcement system, is introduced to see if it causes a change in the dependent variable (homework completion).