what is an explanatory variable in statistics

In statistics, an explanatory variable is a type of independent variable that explains the results of a study or experiment. It is what a researcher manipulates or observes changes in, and it is often referred to as the expected cause. On the other hand, a response variable is a type of dependent variable that changes as a result of the explanatory variable. It is the expected effect and responds to other variables. In other words, the response variable is the focus of a question in a study or experiment. The two terms are often used interchangeably with other terms used in research, such as independent and dependent variables. However, there is a subtle difference between the two. When a variable is independent, it is not affected at all by any other variables, while an explanatory variable may offer some explanation for the change in the response variable. In real-world contexts, independent variables are often influenced by other variables, which means they are not truly independent.