Question

For many insects, temperature during the larval stage can lead to changes that persist into the adult stage.  A recent study by Ramakrishnan Vasudeva and his colleagues (2018) examined this phenomenon in bean beetles.  In a study, the scientists reared egg-laden beans at 17°C, 25°C, 27°C, and 33°C.  The eggs were allowed to develop into adults. The researchers then paired 20 virgin males from each of the four temperatures with virgin females reared at 27°C.  They recorded the amount of time each male spent copulating with the female (sec).

1. What is the independent variable?  What are the potential values for this variable? What is the dependent variable?  What are the potential values for this variable?
2. What are the study subjects?  Be specific
3. What might be the researchers’ hypothesis?
4. What type of scientific study did the researchers conduct?
5. If this study is an experiment, what are the treatments?  Label the treatments as either experimental or control.
6. What was the sample size of this study?
7. List three potentially confounding variables that were or should have been controlled in this study.

Answer 1