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8/3/2019 Variables and Scales
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/variables-and-scales 1/41
CONCEPCION, Denise Nicole
GUERRA, Alliah Czarielle
ROSAS, Mary Rose
VELEZ, Vida Valerie
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From the root word: “vary”
To change, to become different
To shed a past state and take on another at
present.Attributes:
Specific values carried by variables.
One variable can have several attributes.
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In scientific experimentation, a variable
refers to a factor available for manipulationand measurement.
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Independent variables
Variables which are manipulated.
Treatment, cause
Influence other variables to change
Must have at least 2 levels (variants) Manipulated variable, explanatory variable,
individual-difference variable
2 kinds! (next slide)
Dependent variables
Variables being manipulated upon
Receive treatment and respond to it
Effect, outcome
Responding variable
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True Independent Variables
Subject variables
Not manipulated by the researcher Inherent within subject
Possible relation to another subject variable
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Presence vs. Absence
Type of variable
Amount of Variable Experimental Manipulation
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One group of research participants receivestreatment.
Another does not.
Comparison Does group receiving treatment condition differ from
group that does not? (Christensen, 1997)
Ex. The effect of chocolate on a person’seuphoric state
One group is made to eat chocolate for a givennumber of days, in controlled amounts
Another group does not eat any chocolate
Researchers tally and compare the differencebetween the two groups’ euphoric states
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Vary the type of variable under
investigation. (Christensen, 1997)
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Ex. Researchers want to know what the cause of depression is in overweight people from a ruralvillage who eat primarily rice or corn.
Does it correlate more strongly to their weight or to
their diet? Two possible independent variables: Weight, Diet
Subjects in a healthy mental state might be dividedinto groups of “borderline overweight” to “severelyoverweight,” and a control group of healthy-weight
people selected The groups may then be further divided into groups
that will be fed rice, and groups that will be fed corn.The results will then be compared and a conclusionwill be drawn
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Of course this is just a sample experiment; otherdesigns might be more effective and it is not for
our group to cover!
Rice Corn
Severely overweightpeople
Scores for depression after
period of eating said food
Scores for depression after
period of eating said food
Borderline overweight
people
Scores for depression after
period of eating said food
Scores for depression after
period of eating said food
Normal-weight people Scores for depression after
period of eating said food
Scores for depression after
period of eating said food
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Administer different amounts of variable to
each of several groups. (Christensen, 1997)
Ex. Does increased amounts of caffeine
improve ability to focus on tasks? One group may be limited to 2 cups of coffee per
day.
Another group is made to drink 5 cups.
Still another group may be permitted to drink upto 8 cups.
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Experimenter administers one specific
controlled amount to a group of individuals
and a different specific controlled amount to
a group of individuals. (Christensen, 1997) Ex. The effect of sleep on motor
coordination
Group 1: 4 hours of sleep/day in 1 week
Group 2: 8 hours of sleep/day in 1 week*
*same starting time, might be conducted in the same place
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Variable: made to vary
Changes are observed and quantified
Become the basis for the derivation of a
conclusion
Constant: unchanging
To preserve consistency throughout the
experiment
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Intervening variables
Not observed directly; abstract concepts
Inferrable from the relationship between
independent and dependent variable
Explains relationship between the independent
and dependent variable
e.g. learning, expectancy, cognitive structure,
group cohesiveness, intelligence, stages of dev’t,
attitudes
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Moderator (Moderating) Variable
Factor measured, manipulated or selected by
experimenter to discover whether it modifies the
relationship of the IV to the observed
phenomenon
Enhance or influence the independent variable
Ex. Experiment involving 2 methods of teaching
mathematics
Students with strong reading skills do better in 1method, students with low reading skills do
better in another
Reading = Moderating variable
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Controlled variables
Variables which are held constant throughout
the experiment
Consistency purposes
Failure to isolate confounding internal
validity is compromised
Extraneous variables
Variables with no effect on the outcome of theexperiment
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Experimental group Subjects which receive experimental treatment
Manipulated by researcher. (Johnson and Solso,1984)
Control group Subjects given same treatment as experimental
group, but not manipulated by researcher.(Johnson and Solso, 1984)
Held constant in research study by observingonly one of its levels. (Shardson, 1988)
Used to neutralize the effects of variables not of central focus to study, but possibly affectingobserved behavior.
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Two uses
“Experimenter makes things happen when he/she
wants them to happen” (Johnson and Solso,
1984) Arrangement of conditions so that the
experimenter can attribute result of experiment to independent variable and not
any other variable. (Johnson and Solso, 1984)
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Means for ruling out threats to validity.
Provides a standard against which to
compare the effect of a particular IV.
(McBurney)
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No!
Control without control group, wherein two
experimental groups are given differing
treatment and the effects subsequently
compared:
Group Treatment
1 A1
2 A2
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Do students learn better with audio or video?
Group of students is divided.
Group 1 is taught using audio alone.
Group 2 receives instruction via video.
Group Treatment
Audio A1
Video A2
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No!
Experiment may instead be given a control
condition, wherein different subjects each
experience a condition and thereby serves as its
own control
(All Subjects) Condition Treatment
Experimental Condition Present
Control Condition Absent
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The shampoo test
A group of participants is asked to test a type of
conditioner with one type of shampoo. Effects
are observed and rated.
The same group is asked to use only shampoo.
Effects are observed and rated.
Comparison between effects.
(All Subjects) Condition TreatmentWith conditioner Present
Shampoo only Absent
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1. Laboratory Setting
Scientific laboratory: place set up to allow the
mot appropriate control over variables of
interest in the research
Has all the items/equipment required
MAXIMUM CONTROL!
NEED NOT
BE STERILE!
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2. Research setting as preparation
Skinner Box
(B.F. Skinner)
Device used to
study learning in
small animals.
Unlike other
implements such
as mazes, it
ensures that only
response time is
being studied and
not number of
turns or speed,which are possible
confounding
variables.
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3. Instrumenting response
Improving measurement of behavior under
study
Setting up standardized benchmarks for
comparison, easy reference
Use of measuring devices as instruments for
reducing behavior to numbers or to other forms
convenient to data analysis.
e.g. Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale
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branch of measurement that involves the
construction of an instrument that associatesqualitative constructs with quantitativemetric units
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Observing and recording of observations
collected as part of a research effort
(Nation, 1997)
Assignment of numbers to thingsQuantifying
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4 levels:
Nominal
Ordinal
Interval Ratio
Depending on suitability, none is better than
another
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Basic scale of measurement
Numbers or symbols representing
differences between objects or persons
Process of grouping into classesNo qualitative features
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Uses numbers to order objects from a
continuum of high to low
Provides information about rank
Distances between values may be unequal
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Assigns a number to an object or person such
that the number of units of measurement isequal to the amount of attribute possessed(to scale!)
Identifiable levels
No absolute zero point as consistent
reference.
Reflected values on scale not proportional tocharacteristics
Includes all measurements of ordinal and
interval levels.
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Intervals between numbers are equal, but
zero point is arbitrary
e.g. Temperature
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Ex. 32oF
The interval between 32oF and 33oF is the
same as the interval between 85oF and 86oF
0o
F does NOT imply absence of temperature! 0oF and 0oC are not equal.
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Most sophisticated form of measurement
Zero point present!
Indicates absence of attribute measured
Proportional relationships represent actualamounts of the characteristic being
measured.
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Type of Scale Measurement Scale Characteristics of Scale
Statistical Possibilities
Non-interval Nominal Names or designations of discrete
units/categories.
1. Mode
2. Percentage
3. Chi-square
Non-interval Ordinal Values such as “more
or less,” but w/o
specifying size of intervals
1. Mode
2. Percentage
3. Chi-square4. Median
5. Percentile rank
6. Rank correlation
Interval Interval Equal intervals or
degree of difference,
zero point arbitrary
1. Mean
2. Standard deviation
3. T-Test
4. F-Test
5. Product-Moment
Correlation
Interval Ratio Equal intervals,
absolute zero point
1. Geometric mean
2. Harmonic mean
3. Percent variation
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Maleske, T.M. (1995). Foundations fro
Gathering and Interpreting Behavioral Data:
An Introduction to Statistics. Pacific Grove,
California: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.
Shardson, R.J. (1988). Design of Research in
the Behavioral Sciences. In Statistical
Reasoning for the Behavioral Sciences (pp.
15-23). Massachussets: Allyn & Bacon, Inc. Blalock, H.M. Jr. (1981). Social Statistics.
McGraw Hill, Inc.
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Johnson, H.H., Solso, R.L. (1984). An
Introduction to Experimental Design in
Psychology: A Case Approach. New York, N.Y.
Harper and Row Publications, Inc.
Kontowitz, B.H., Roediger, R.L., Elmes, D.G.
(1988). Experimental Psychology. St. Paul,
MN: West Pub. Co.
Christensen, L.B. (1997). The IndependentVariable. In Experimental Methodology (pp.
195-199). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn &
Bacon, Inc.
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Johnson, H.H., Solso, R.L. (1984). An
Introduction to Experimental Design in
Psychology: A Case Approach. New York, N.Y.
Harper and Row Publications, Inc.
Kontowitz, B.H., Roediger, R.L., Elmes, D.G.
(1988). Experimental Psychology. St. Paul,
MN: West Pub. Co.
Christensen, L.B. (1997). The IndependentVariable. In Experimental Methodology (pp.
195-199). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn &
Bacon, Inc.
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Nation, J.R. (1997). Research Methods.
Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice Hall, Inc.
McBurney (1998). Research Methods.
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Variables in Your Science Fair Project.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-
projects/project_variables.shtml
Trochim, William M.K. (2006) ResearchMethods Knowledge Base. Article on Variables
Retrieved from
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/v
ariable.php
http://www.experiment-
resources.com/research-variables.html