Variables Flashcards
What is the independent variable (IV)?
The variable the researcher changes/ manipulates.
What is the dependant variable (DV)?
The variable that the researcher measures.
Why should the variables be operationalised?
So they are able to be defined and explained in terms of how they will be measured in an experiment.
What are extraneous variables?
Any unwanted variables in the study.
What are confounding variables?
They change systematically with the IV, and could effect the accuracy of the DV.
What are demand characteristics?
Certain clues may help them interpret what is going on. These clues are the demand characteristics.
What are Investigator effects?
An unwanted influence of the investigator on the research outcome.
What is Randomisation?
Refers to the use of chance methods to reduce the researchers unconscious biases when designing an investigation.
What is Standardisation?
There is a list of exactly what will be done in the study to ensure non-standardised changes do not act as extraneous variables.
