PSYC 201W Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Dependent And Independent Variables
31 Oct 2017
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All experiments share a common underlying method: isolate a factor of interest, tinker around with it, try to keep other aspects of the situation constant, and then see what effects your tinkering produces. Choose the type of dependent variables that will be measured, and how and when they will be measured so that the effects of the independent variables can be assessed. Regulate other aspects of the research environment, including the manner in which participants are exposed to the various conditions in the experiment. Control allows the experimenter to conclude that some specific variable causes an outcome. Extraneous variable: a factor that is not the focus of interest in a particular study, but that could influence the outcome of the study if left uncontrolled. Confounding variable: a factor that covaries with the independent variable in such a way that we can no longer determine which one has caused the changes in the dependent variable.
