Variables

Question 1

What is the independent variable?

Answer 1

The variable that is manipulated

Question 2

What is a dependent variable?

Answer 2

The variable that is measured

Question 3

What is a cause and effect relationship?

Answer 3

The independent variable is the cause of the changes seen in the dependent variable

Question 4

What is an extraneous variable?

Answer 4

A variable other than the independent that is not controlled for that may affect the results seen in the dependent variable

Question 5

What is a participant variable?

Answer 5

Something about the individual participant that may affect the results e.g. age, IQ, mental health, personality type

Question 6

What is a situational variable?

Answer 6

Something about the research situation that may affect the results e.g. noise level, environment

Question 7

What is a confounding variable?

Answer 7

A variable that is not the IV, that changes consistently with the IV and impacts the DV – e.g. doing a test to see the impact of energy drink on memory, but the energy drink group are 20 years old, and the non energy drink group are 90 – so their age will also impact memory

Question 8

How can extraneous variables be controlled?

Answer 8

Standardised procedure

Artificial setting