Variables Flashcards
What are dependant variables?
-A factor which is measured in the study to access the effect of the IV
-DV depends on how the IV has been set up
What does the DV depend on?
-The DV depends on how the IV has been set up: if the IV is whether participants learn/memorise something with loud music playing or in silence then it makes sense that the DV is ‘the number of….’ or ‘the time taken to…’ i.e. it must be quantitative
Is it possible to have a qualitative DV?
It is impossible to have a qualitative DV: the measure will always take some form of numerical data which can then be displayed in a graph or percentages etc.
What is the IV?
The independent variable (IV) is the factor which is changed/manipulated to observe the effect it has on the dependent variable (DV) for example:
whether participants learn a list of 20 words in silence or in the presence of loud rock music (the IV = silence or loud rock music)
What are extraneous variables?
-Extraneous variables are any factors that intrude upon and adversely affect the DV (i.e.not the IV, which the researcher has specifically implemented)
What are some examples of extraneous variables?
time of day (some participants may be ‘morning people’ which means that they are likely to be more alert first thing compared to others)
temperature (if the experimental space is too warm/cold it may affect participant performance on the task)
mood (one participant may have just had a row with their partner or won some money or feel a bit ‘off’ that day: any of these events mean that their mood is likely to affect their performance on the task)
How do you control extraneous variables?
-usually controlled so they have the same effect across all conditions, which should stop them affecting the DV, for example:
time of day: run the experiment at midday which should hopefully be a neutral time for everyone
What are confounding variables?
If extraneous variables are not controlled then they can become confounding variables
Confounding variables can affect the DV and impact the outcome of the research
The interference of confounding variables may not be apparent until after the research process has been completed, in which case a researcher should acknowledge the possibility of such interference in the discussion section of the psychological report
How do you operationalise variables?
This is the process of transforming variables into measurable factors
All variables have to be operationalised, meaning they have to be clearly defined and set in motion
Being clearly defined allows for manipulation of the independent variable and also means the dependent variable can be precisely measured
