variables and measures

Question 1

what are variables?

Answer 1

things that vary, can be measured, and can be manipulated

Question 2

what are true independent variables?

Answer 2

things that are manipulated by the experimenter

expected to have an effect on a particular outcome

Question 3

what are quasi independent variables?

Answer 3

expected to have impact on outcome, but are not manipulated by experimenter directly and people are not randomly assigned to a condition

e.g., cannot induce trauma on a PP, it is just something that happens naturally

Question 4

what are dependent variables?

Answer 4

things that are measured in a study, so they depend on something else that we manipulate

Question 5

what is operationalisation?

Answer 5

transforming conceptual variables into operational variables, which we can measure or manipulate

a more precise definition of variables e.g., exactly 100 and 50mg caffeine, attention measured using Posner task)