variables

Question 1

what is an independant variable

Answer 1

variable that the research maniuplates. this is done by having a different value of this variable in each experimental condition

Question 2

what is a dependant variable

Answer 2

variable that researcher measures

Question 3

why are variables used

Answer 3

to find out whether the independant variable has an effect on the dependant variable

Question 4

why should all variables be kept constant

Answer 4

to test the cause and effect between independant variable and dependant varibale it is necessary to keep all other variables constant through controlling confounding variables and minimisng effects of extraneous variables

Question 5

what is a confounding variable

Answer 5

if an outside variable changes across the two conditions, this becomes a confounding variable and can ruin the experiment

Question 6

give an example of a confounding variable

Answer 6

Coffee drinkers may smoke more cigarettes than non-coffee drinkers, so smoking is a confounding variable in the study of the association between coffee drinking and heart disease. The increase in heart disease may be due to the smoking and not the coffee.

Question 7

what is an extraneous variable

Answer 7

some variables can’t entirely be limited. the researcher tries to minimise the effects of extraneous variables as far as possible. any remaining extraneous variables are a source of random error, but do not invalidate the experiment

Question 8

give an example of an extraneous variable

Answer 8

It can be a natural characteristic of the participant, such as intelligence level, gender, or age.