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Hannah Butler
[email protected]
Variables
What did you discover??
Independent variables
• "Why is the independent variable labelled the
independent variable? Because it is
independent of research participants' actions
- participants have no control over what
condition or group they are assigned to. It is
the experimenter who manipulates the
independent variable, whereas participants
have nothing to do with it (they are simply
exposed to one version of the independent
variable)."
(Breckler, Olson, & Wiggins, 2006)
Independent variables
• The independent variable is the
characteristic of a psychology experiment
that is manipulated or changed.
• For example, in an experiment looking at the
effects of studying on test scores, studying
would be the independent variable.
• Researchers are trying to determine if
changes to the independent variable
(studying) result in significant changes to the
dependent variable (the test results).
Putting it into practise
• A researcher wants to determine if the
colour of an office has any effect on worker
productivity. In an experiment, one group
performs a task in a yellow room while
another performs the same task in a blue
room.
• In this example, the colour of the office is
the independent variable.
• A business wants to determine if giving
employees more control over how to do their
work leads to increased job satisfaction.
• In an experiment, one group of workers is
given a great deal of input in how they
perform their work, while the other group is
not.
• The amount of input the workers have over
their work is the independent variable in this
example.
• Educators are interested in whether
participating in after-school math tutoring
can increase scores on standardized math
exams.
• In an experiment, one group of students
attends an after-school tutoring session
twice a week while another group of students
does not receive this additional assistance.
• What is the independent variable?
• In this case, participation in an after-school
math tutoring is the independent variable.
• Researchers want to determine if a new type
of treatment will lead to a reduction in
anxiety for patients suffering from social
phobia.
• In an experiment, some volunteers receive
the new treatment, another group receives a
different treatment, and a third group
receives no treatment.
• What is the independent variable?
• The independent variable in this example is
the type of therapy
Dependant variables
• "In psychology studies, the dependent
variable is usually a measurement of some
aspect of the participants' behaviour. The
independent variable is called independent
because it is free to be varied by the
experimenter. The dependent variable is
called dependent because it is thought to
depend (at least in part) on the manipulations
of the independent variable."
(Weiten, 2013)
Dependant variables
• The dependent variable is the variable that is
being measured in an experiment.
• For example, in a study looking at how
tutoring impacts test scores, the dependent
variable would be the participants' test
scores.
• In a psychology experiment, researchers are
looking at how changes in the independent
variable cause changes in the dependent
variable.
• One way to help identify the dependent
variable is to remember that it depends on
the independent variable.
• When researchers make changes to the
independent variable, they then measure any
resulting changes to the dependent variable.
Putting it into practise
• Researchers want to discover if listening to
classical music helps students earn better
grades on a math exam.
• In this example, the scores on the math
exams are the dependent variable.
• Researchers are interested in seeing how long
it takes people to respond to different
sounds.
• In this example, the length of time it takes
participants to respond to a sound is the
dependent variable.
• Researchers want to know whether first-born
children learn to speak at a younger age than
second-born children.
• What is the dependant variable?
• the dependent variable is the age at which
the child learns to speak.
• Researchers are interested in seeing how long
it takes people to respond to different
sounds.
• What is the dependant variable?
• In this example, the length of time it takes
participants to respond to a sound is the
dependent variable.
Applying this knowledge to studies you
know
• Pavlov
• Milgram
• Harlow
Pavlov
• Just to recap…..
• Physiologist Ivan Pavlov studied the digestive
processes of dogs, eventually winning the Nobel Prize
for his research.
• Pavlov discovered that dogs would salivate even
without a physiological reason, such as presence of
food.
• He learned that dogs could be conditioned to salivate
based on the presence of a certain stimulus.
• When dogs salivated because of the presence of food
it was called a physiological response.
• When dogs salivated because of the presence of the
lab worker's white coats it was called a learned
response.
• He proved that a metronome could become the
conditioned stimulus.
• What is the IV and DV?
• The metronome was the independent variable
and the act of being fed was the dependent
variable
Milgram
• Just to recap….
• Stanley Milgram performed an experiment with 40 male
volunteers acting as teachers.
• The men sat in front of a series of switches and were told
that if they pressed the switches then shocks were
delivered in various strengths to students on the opposite
side of the glass.
• The switches were labelled with different strength
intensities but they did not really give off shocks.
• The teachers were instructed to deliver shocks every time
a student gave an incorrect answer.
• As the experiment progressed the students were told to
deliver stronger and stronger shocks and the students
reacted as if in great pain.
• The teachers continued to shock the students simply
because they were directed to do so by a person in
authority.
• What is the IV and DV?
• The independent variables were the
statements made by the authority figure
instructing the teacher to continue shocking.
• The dependent variable was the intensity of
the shocks given.
Harlow
• Harry Harlow tested the effect of love using
monkeys in what was called the Rhesus
Monkey Love Experiments.
• In one experiment monkeys were taken from
their mothers as infants and assigned a cloth
and wire mother.
• The monkeys preferred the cloth mother
leading Harlow to explain that they were
attracted to contact comfort.
• What is the DV and the IV?
• The dependent variable was the choice made
by the monkeys.
• The independent variable was the contact
comfort- wire versus cloth.