What term describes techniques that examine relationships without a dependent variable?

Interdependence methods are designed to analyze the relationships between variables when there is no clear distinction between dependent and independent variables. This fits the description of techniques that focus on understanding how variables relate to one another rather than determining causation or making predictions based on a particular dependent variable.

These methods assess the structure of relationships and can identify patterns or groupings among variables. Common techniques under this category include factor analysis, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling, which all aim to uncover the underlying structure and connections among a set of variables.

In contrast, causal methods specifically aim to establish cause-and-effect relationships, while exploratory methods tend to focus on generating hypotheses rather than explicitly examining relationships without a dependent variable. Independent methods typically denote approaches that do not consider relationships at all, therefore not aligning with the concept of interdependence.