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MEANING of VARIABLES - A Variable Is A Concept or

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Zeeshan ch 'Hadi'
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24 views2 pages

MEANING of VARIABLES - A Variable Is A Concept or

Uploaded by

Zeeshan ch 'Hadi'
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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MEANING OF VARIABLES

• A variable is a concept or abstract idea that can be described in measurable terms. In


research, this term refers to the measurable characteristics, qualities, traits, or
attributes of a particular individual, object, or situation being studied. • Anything that
can vary can be considered a variable. For instance, age can be considered a variable
because age can take different values for different people or for the same person at
different times. Similarly, Income can be considered a variable because a person's
Income can be assigned a value.
Variables
are properties or characteristics of some event, object, or person that
can take on different values or amounts.
• A variable is not only something that we measure, but also something that we can
manipulate and something we can control for.
TYPES OF VARIABLES
Independent variables
are variables which are manipulated or controlled or
changed. It is what the researcher studies to see its relationship or effects.
  Presumed or possible cause
Dependent variables
are the outcome variables and are the variables for which we
calculate statistics. The variable which changes on account of independent variable is
known as dependent variable. i.e.It is influenced or affected by the independent
variable 
 Presumed results(Effect)
Example:
If we want to explore whether high concentrations of vehicle exhaust impact
incidence of asthma in children, vehicle exhaust is the independent variable while
asthma is the dependent variable.
The Relationship between Independent and Dependent Variables
Example
• Imagine that a tutor asks 100 students to complete a maths test. The tutor
wants to know why some students perform better than others. Whilst the tutor does
not know the answer to this, she thinks that it might be because of two reasons:
(1) some students spend more time revising for their test; and
(2) some students are naturally more intelligent than others. As such, the tutor decides
to investigate the effect of revision time and intelligence on the test performance of
the 100 students. What are the dependent and independent variables for the study ?
 Solution
Dependent Variable: Test Mark (measured from 0 to 100)
Independent Variables: Revision time (measured in hours) Intelligence (measured
using IQ score)
 Moderating Variables :
A moderating variable is one that has a strong contingent
effect on the independent variable-dependent variable relationship. That is, the
presence of a third variable (the moderating variable) modifies the original
relationship between the independent and the dependent variable
.For example,
a strong relationship has been observed between the quality of library
facilities (X) and the performance of the students (Y). Although this relationship is
supposed to be true generally, it is nevertheless contingent on the interest and
inclination of the students. It means that only those students who have the interest and
inclination to use the library will show improved performance in their studies.In this
relationship interest and inclination is moderating variable i.e. which moderates the
strength of the association between X and Y variables.

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