Variables

Question 1

define variables

Answer 1

Any ‘thing’ that can vary or chnage within an investigation. Variables are generally used in experiments to determine if changes in one thing result in changes to another.

Question 2

define IV

Answer 2

Independant variable:
Some aspect of the experimental situation that is manipulated by the researcher - or changes naturally - the effect on the DV can be measured.

Question 3

define DV

Answer 3

Dependant variable:
The varibale that is measured by the researcher. Any effect on the DV should be caused by the change in the IV.

Question 4

define operationalisation

Answer 4

Clearly defining variable in terms of how they can be measured.

Question 5

Operationalise the hypothesis:
‘The group that drinks an energy drink will be chattier than the group that drinks water’

Answer 5

Afer drinking 300ml of [insert name of energy drink] participants will say more words in the next 5 minutes than participants who drink 300ml of water.

Question 6

What are the names of other variables that can affect the results of an experiment

Answer 6

Extraneous variables

Question 7

define extraneous variable

Answer 7

EV: Any variable, other than the IV thant may have an effect on the dependent variable if it is not controlled. They do not vary systematically with the IV

EVs are essentially nuisance variable that do not vary systematically with the IV

Question 8

Define confounding variables

Answer 8

Any variable, other than IV that may have affected the DV so we cannot be sure of the true source of changes to the DV. They vary systematically with the IV

Question 9

What is the difference between EVs and confounding variables

Answer 9

confounding variables vary systematically with the IV whereas EVs don’t

Question 10

How many types of extraneous variables are there

Answer 10

4

Question 11

What are the types of extraneous variables

Answer 11

• Situational variables
• participant variables
• experimenter/ investigator effects
• demand characteristics

Question 12

Define situational variables

Answer 12

aspects of the environment that might affect the participant’s behaviour

e.g. lighting, temperature, noise

They should be controlled so they are the same for all participants

Question 13

How do you deal with situational variables

Answer 13

Standardised procedures are used to ensure that the conditions are the same for all participants. This includes the use of standardised instructions.

Question 14

Define participant (/person) variables

Answer 14

This refers to the ways in which each participant varies from the other, and how this could affect the results.

e.g. mood, intelligence, anxiety, concentration etc.

Question 15

How do you control participant variables

Answer 15

participant variables: controlled using random allocation to the conditions of the independant variable

Question 16

What type of variables does order effects belong to

Answer 16

situational

Question 17

How do you control order effects

Answer 17

order effects: controlled using counterbalancing

Question 18

define counterbalancing

Answer 18

An attempt to control for the effects of order in a repeated measures design: half of the participants experience the conditions in one order and the other half in the opposite order

Question 19

How does counterbalancing act as a control

Answer 19

It prevents improvement in performance due to practice or poorer performance due to boredom.

Question 20

define investigator/ experimenter bias

Answer 20

Where the experimenter unconsciously conveys to participants how they should behave.

Question 21

how can the investigator effect the behaviour of the participants

Answer 21

• by giving unintentional clues to the participants about what the experiment is and how they want them to behave.
• their personal attributes e.g. age, gender, accent, manner etc. can affect the behaviour

Question 22

Define demand characteristics

Answer 22

Any cue from the researcher or from the research situation that may be interpreted by participants as revealing the purpose of the investigation.

Question 23

What are the aspects of demand characteristics

Answer 23

• the surroundings
• the researcher’s characteristics
• the researcher’s behaviour
• their interpretation of what is going on in the situation.

Question 24

How are demand characteristics reduced

Answer 24

minimise the factors by keeping the environmnet as natural as possible and by following standard procedure.