The Variables: Dr. Godfrey G. Mendoza Maestro

The Variables
Dr. Godfrey G. Mendoza

Maestro
Meaning of Variable
 There’s a saying that “no two individuals are
alike even identical twins are different.” Thought,
twins have the same sex, personality, attitudes,
character, skills, abilities, and values but still
they are different with each other. This stems
from the fact that individuals are different.
 A variable is defined as a quantity susceptible of
fluctuating or change in value or degree under

different conditions. Numerical values or
categories represent these quantities receptive
of change.
Meaning of Variable
A variable is defined as anything that has a
quantity or quality that varies.
 The dependent (effect/response) variable is
the variable a researcher is interested in.

 An independent (cause/stimulus) variable is a
variable believed
to affect the dependent variable.
 Confounding variables are defined as
interference caused by another variable.
Types of Variables
 Thereare five types of variables, namely: (1)
independent variable, (2) dependent variable,
(3) moderate variable, (4) control variable,
and (5) intervening variable.
Types of Variables
1. Independent variable - is a variable believed
to affect the dependent variable. This is the
variable that the researcher, will manipulate to
see if it makes the dependent variable change.
 This is the stimulus variable or cause variable
which is chosen by the investigator to

determine its relationship to an observed
phenomenon.
Example#1: In our example of hungry people

throwing a ball, our independent variable is how
long it's been since they've eaten.
2. Dependent variable - is the variable a
researcher is interested in. The changes to the
dependent variable are what the researcher is
trying to measure with all their fancy techniques.
 This is the response variable or effect variable
which is observed and measured to determine

the effect of the independent variable. It
changes when the independent variable varies.
Example#2: In our example, your dependent

variable is the person's ability to throw a ball.
We're trying to measure the change in ball
throwing as influenced by hunger.
Confounding variable
Unwanted Influence:
 Sometimes, when you're studying a
dependent variable, your results don't make
any sense. For instance, what if people in one
group are doing amazingly well while the
other groups are doing about the same.
 This could be caused by a confounding
variable, defined as an interference caused by

another variable. In our unusually competent
group example, the confounding variable
could be that this group is made up of
players from the baseball team.
Example#3:
 In our original example of hungry people throwing
the ball, there are several confounding variables we
need to make sure we account for. Some examples
would be:
1. Metabolism and weight of the individuals (for
example, a 90 lb woman not eating for 24 hours
compared to a 350 lb man not eating for 6
hours).
2. Ball size (people with smaller hands may have a
difficult time handling a large ball).
3. Age (a 90-yer-old person will perform differently
than a 19-year-old person)
Extraneous variable
 Confounding variables are a specific type of
extraneous variable.
 Extraneous variable - are defined as any
variable other than the independent and

dependent variable. So, a confounding
variable is a variable that could strongly
influence your study, while extraneous
variable are weaker and typically influence
your experiment in a lesser way.
Moderate variable
 This is a secondary or special type of
independent variable chosen by the
investigator to determine if it changes or
modifies the relationships between the IV and
DV.
 Used for Correlational Studies.
Control variable
 This is a variable controlled by the
investigator wherein the effects can be
neutralized by eliminating or removing the
variable.
Intervening variable
 This is a variable which interferes with the IV
and DV, but the effects can either strengthen
or weaken the IV and DV.
 Used for Correlational Studies.
End of the topic…next topic…
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The Variables: Dr. Godfrey G. Mendoza Maestro

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The Variables

Dr. Godfrey G. Mendoza

fluctuating or change in value or degree under

the variable a researcher is interested in.

which is chosen by the investigator to

Example#1: In our example of hungry people

which is observed and measured to determine

Example#2: In our example, your dependent

variable, defined as an interference caused by

variable other than the independent and

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