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Variable

A variable is anything that can be measured in a research study, such as an object, event, idea, feeling, or time period. There are three main types of variables: independent variables, dependent variables, and extraneous/confounding variables. The independent variable is what is manipulated by the researcher and causes a change in the dependent variable. The dependent variable depends on and responds to changes in the independent variable. Extraneous and confounding variables are not directly being tested but could influence the dependent variable and need to be controlled for. It is important to identify which variable is independent and which is dependent.

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256 views3 pages

Variable

A variable is anything that can be measured in a research study, such as an object, event, idea, feeling, or time period. There are three main types of variables: independent variables, dependent variables, and extraneous/confounding variables. The independent variable is what is manipulated by the researcher and causes a change in the dependent variable. The dependent variable depends on and responds to changes in the independent variable. Extraneous and confounding variables are not directly being tested but could influence the dependent variable and need to be controlled for. It is important to identify which variable is independent and which is dependent.

Uploaded by

Jaroushie Flynn
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Question: 

What's a variable?

Answer: A variable is an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category you are
trying to measure. There are two types of variables-independent and dependent.

Question: What's an independent variable?

Answer: An independent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is a variable that stands alone and isn't
changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone's age might be an
independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much
television they watch) aren't going to change a person's age. In fact, when you are looking for some kind of
relationship between variables you are trying to see if the independent variable causes some kind of change
in the other variables, or dependent variables.

Question: What's a dependent variable?

Answer: Just like an independent variable, a dependent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is
something that depends on other factors. For example, a test score could be a dependent variable because
it could change depending on several factors such as how much you studied, how much sleep you got the
night before you took the test, or even how hungry you were when you took it. Usually when you are
looking for a relationship between two things you are trying to find out what makes the dependent variable
change the way it does.

Many people have trouble remembering which is the independent variable and which is the dependent
variable. An easy way to remember is to insert the names of the two variables you are using in this
sentence in they way that makes the most sense. Then you can figure out which is the independent variable
and which is the dependent variable:

(Independent variable) causes a change in (Dependent Variable) and it isn't possible that (Dependent
Variable) could cause a change in (Independent Variable).

types of relationships between variables in research


(http://mason.gmu.edu/~afinn/html/teaching/courses/f03_comm250/fbk_chapters/14.pdf)

Extraneous variables are all variables, which are not the independent variable, but could affect the
results of the experiment. The researcher wants to make sure that it is the manipulation of the
independent variable that has an effect on the dependent variable.

Hence, all the other variables that could affect the dependent variable to change must be controlled.
These other variables are called extraneous or confounding variables.

Extraneous variables should be controlled were possible, as they might be important enough to provide
alternative explanations for the effects.
What is a confounding variable?
Confounding variables, which are also called confounders or confounding factors, are
closely related to a study’s independent and dependent variables. A variable must meet
two conditions to be a confounder:

 It must be correlated with the independent variable. This may be a causal relationship,


but it does not have to be.
 It must be causally related to the dependent variable.

Example of a confounding variableYou collect data on sunburns and ice cream consumption. You find
that higher ice cream consumption is associated with a higher probability of sunburn. Does that mean
ice cream consumption causes sunburn?
Here, the confounding variable is temperature: hot temperatures cause people to both eat more
ice cream and spend more time outdoors under the sun, resulting in more sunburns.

ESSENCE OF VARIABLES (https://www.donotedit.com/the-use-and-importance-of-variables/)

Types of attribute variables

TYPES OF ATTRIBUTE VARIABLES (https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/types-of-variables/)

DIFFERENCES AMONG VARIABLES How to Tell the


Variables Apart
The independent and dependent variables may be viewed in terms of cause and
effect. If the independent variable is changed, then an effect is seen in the
dependent variable. Remember, the values of both variables may change in an
experiment and are recorded. The difference is that the value of the independent
variable is controlled by the experimenter, while the value of the dependent
variable only changes in response to the independent variable.

CONTROL VARIABLES VS. CONTROLLED VARIABLES

Definition of a Control Variable


A control variable is any factor you control or hold constant during an
experiment. A control variable is also called a controlled variable or constant
variable. 

If you are studying the effect of the amount of water on seed germination, control
variables might include temperature, light, and type of seed. In contrast, there
may be variables you can't easily control, such as humidity, noise, vibration, and
magnetic fields.
Ideally, a researcher wants to control every variable, but this isn't always possible.
It's a good idea to note all recognizable variables in a lab notebook for reference.

NUISANCE VARIABLES

A nuisance variable is an unwanted variable that is typically correlated with the hypothesized
independent variable within an experimental study but is typically of no interest to the researcher. It
might be a characteristic of the participants under study or any unintended influence on an
experimental manipulation. A nuisance variable causes greater variability in the distribution of a
sample's scores and affects all the groups measured within a given sample 

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