Variables: By-Yukti Sharma

VARIABLES
By- Yukti Sharma

What we will study?
Definition
Types of variables
Methods of Measuring Dependent Variable
Important consideration in selection of
variables
Techniques of controlling Extraneous variables
What is a variable?
• A variable, as the name implies, is something which
varies.
• It may be defined as those attributes of objects,
events, things and being, which can be measured.
• Variables are the characteristics or conditions that are
manipulated, controlled or observed by the
experimenter.
• Intelligence, anxiety, aptitude, income ,education etc
are examples of variables.
Types of variables
Depende Independ Qualitativ
nt ent e
Quantitati Continuo
ve us
Discrete
Moderato Intervenin
r g Active
Independent and Dependent
Variables?
• The independent variable- is the variable the experimenter
manipulates or changes, and is assumed to have a direct
effect on the dependent variable. For example, allocating
participants to either drug or placebo conditions
(independent variable) in order to measure any changes in
the intensity of their anxiety (dependent variable).
• The dependent variable- is the variable being tested and

measured in an experiment, and is 'dependent' on the
independent variable. An example of a dependent variable is
depression symptoms, which depends on the independent
variable (type of therapy).
• In an experiment, the researcher is looking for
the possible effect on the dependent variable
that might be caused by changing the
independent variable.
Condition A
Independent Dependent
influences variable
variable Condition B
Types of independent variable
Independent variable
Environment
Task variable Subject variable
variable
Qualitative and Quantitative
variables
• The qualitative variable- refers to those variables
which consists of categories that can't be ordered in
magnitude. For example, gender, race and religion
because they can’t be ordered in magnitude.
• The quantitative variable- refers to those variables

which are composed of categories that can be ordered
in magnitude. For example, intelligence, intensity of
sounds.
Quantitative variable are further
divided into two categories:
Quantitative variable
Continuous variable Discrete variable

Continuous and Discrete
variable
• The continuous variable- is one which is capable of
being measured in any arbitrary degree of fineness
or exactness. The measurement is subject to the
limitations of available tools. For example- age,
height, intelligence, reaction time.
• The discrete variable- are those which are not
capable of being measured in any arbitrary degree of
fineness or exactness because the variables contain a
clear gap. For example- the number of members in a
family
Moderator and Intervening
variable
• The moderator variable- which are selected by
experimenter because he suspects that these
variables may alter or moderate the relationship
between the primary independent variable and
dependent variable.
• The intervening variable- it is the variable which is

influenced by independent variable, the relevant
variable and the moderator variable and n turn,
affects the dependent variable.
Active and Attribute variable
• The active variable- which is manipulated by
the experimenter. For example- reward,
punishment, methods of teaching.
• The attribute variable- which is not
manipulated by the experimenter.For
example- age, gender, anxiety, intelligence
Methods of Measuring
Dependent Variable
1. Direct observation of the targeted behavior
2. Indirect measures of unseen internal processes
3. Judgments about a stimulus
4. Self-reports
Important consideration in
selection
3.
Practical of variables
consider
ation
2.
Design
conside
ration
1.
Theoretical
considerati
on
Important approaches to
manipulating independent
variable
1. By manipulating context
2. By presenting different stimuli
3. By manipulating the likely information to be given to the
subjects
4. By manipulating social settings in which confederates are
used.
5. By manipulating intervening variables
6. By stressing or overloading psychological system
7. By manipulating physiological process
Techniques of controlling
Extraneous variables
Techniques of elimination
Constancy of conditions
Balancing
Randomization
Techniques of elimination
• The simplest way to control the extraneous

variable is to eliminate it completely from
the experimental situation. For example- if
noise in any experiment is an extraneous
variable, the simplest way to control it is to
make the experiment situation sound proof.
Constancy of conditions
• Where the extraneous variables can’t
controlled through the technique of
elimination, they can be controlled by
holding their values constant for all
participants in all conditions.
• Constancy of conditions refers to
holding a variable constant so that its
influence will be the same throughout the
study.
Balancing
• Where the researcher remains unable to
identify the extraneous variables.
• Where they are readily indentified and the
researcher takes special steps to control
them.
Counterbalancing
• It is used for controlling the extraneous variables of
amount of practice and fatigue.
• There are such experiments in which each subject is
required to serve under two or more different
experimental conditions and there is theprobablity
that the participants performance might improve due
to practice or their performance might decrease due
to fatigue.
• This techniques used to distribute these practice and
fatigue effects together, equally over all conditions
Randomization
• It is a very popular technique. It refers to
the technique in which each member of
the population has an equal chance of
being selected.
THANK YOU

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VARIABLES

By- Yukti Sharma

• The dependent variable- is the variable being tested and

• The quantitative variable- refers to those variables

Continuous variable Discrete variable

• The intervening variable- it is the variable which is

2. Indirect measures of unseen internal processes

3. Judgments about a stimulus

• The simplest way to control the extraneous

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