The IV is the variable that you use to do the explaining (i.e., X) and the DV is the variable being explained (i.e., Y ). However, I personally find those names horrible: they’re hard to remember and ...The IV is the variable that you use to do the explaining (i.e., X) and the DV is the variable being explained (i.e., Y ). However, I personally find those names horrible: they’re hard to remember and they’re highly misleading because (a) the IV is never actually “independent of everything else” and (b) if there’s no relationship, then the DV doesn’t actually depend on the IV.
