Variables

Question 1

independent variable

Answer 1

the variable that is chosen by the experimenter to be manipulated

Question 2

dependent variable

Answer 2

the variable that is chosen by the experimenter to be measured

Question 3

extraneous variable

Answer 3

any variable which, if not controlled by the experimenter, could affect the DV

Question 4

confounding variable

Answer 4

any variable which was not controlled by the experimenter that has affected the DV in a systematic way

Question 5

operationalisation

Answer 5

the act of putting the IV and DV into practice by making them measurable (with specific units of measurement)

Question 6

one tailed/directional hypothesis

Answer 6

a hypothesis that predicts the direction of the results

Question 7

reasons for directional hypothesis

Answer 7

the direction of the results is clear with previous research predicting their likely direction

Question 8

two tailed/non-directional hypothesis

Answer 8

a hypothesis which doesn’t predict the direction of the results

it merely states that the DV will be affected by the IV but doesn’t suggest how

Question 9

reasons for non-directional hypothesis

Answer 9

the direction of results is unclear with there not being any previous research

direction of results is unclear due to previous research has shown conflicting findings

direction is unclear as previous research has been heavily criticised