What are the independent variables The variables that were manipulated by the researcher?
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Section 1: VariablesThe purpose of all research is to describe and explain variance in the world. Variance is simply the difference; that is, variation that occurs naturally in the world or change that we create as a result of a manipulation. Variables are names that are given to the variance we wish to explain. A variable is either a result of some force or is itself the force that causes a change in another variable. In experiments, these are called dependent and independent variables respectively. This could be many things depending upon what the medication is for, such as high blood pressure or muscle pain. Therefore, in experiments, a researcher manipulates an independent variable to determine if it causes a change in the dependent variable. As we learned earlier in a descriptive study, variables are not manipulated. They are observed as they naturally occur and then associations between variables are studied. In a way, all the variables in descriptive studies are dependent variables because they are studied in relation to all the other variables that exist in the setting where the research is taking place. However, in descriptive studies, variables are not discussed using the terms "independent" or "dependent." Instead, the names of the variables are used when discussing the study. For example, there is more diabetes in people of Native American heritage than people who come from Eastern Europe. In a descriptive study, the researcher would examine how diabetes (a variable) is related to a person's genetic heritage (another variable). Definition: A variable is either a result of some force or it is the force that causes a change in another variable. In experiments, these are called dependent and independent variables respectively. Case Examples for Independent and Dependent VariablesExample 1: Example 2: Section 1: Discussion Questions
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Variables are important to understand because they are the basic units of the information studied and interpreted in research studies. Researchers carefully analyze and interpret the value(s) of each variable to make sense of how things relate to each other in a descriptive study or what has happened in an experiment. Definition: Variables are characteristics studied in research that can take on different values (e.g., weight, height, exposure to a substance, demographics (i.e., where you live, your ethnicity, how much income you have, medical background). Case Example for Descriptive Study VariablesSee if you can identify the variables that are under investigation in the following descriptive study:Many children who live in the Bronx, a borough of New York City, are developing asthma. In a descriptive study investigating this problem, parents whose children have asthma are asked about whether they smoke around their child, whether they live near a freeway, whether their child regularly sees a healthcare provider, their family income level and also if there is a history in their family of asthma. Prior research has shown that these factors may have an influence on the development of asthma in children. Section 1: Discussion Questions
What are the independent variables that were manipulated by the researcher?The independent variable, also known as the manipulated variable, is the factor manipulated by the researcher, and it produces one or more results, known as dependent variables.
What are the independent variables in research?Question: What's an independent variable? Answer: An independent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying to measure. For example, someone's age might be an independent variable.
What is an example of a manipulated independent variable?Manipulated variable: The number of hours spent studying. This is the variable that the teacher manipulates to see how it affects exam scores. Response variable: The exam scores. This is the variable that changes as a result of the manipulated variable being changed.
Which variable is manipulated during research?An independent variable is the variable that researchers manipulate in order to better understand how phenomena, constructs, and behaviors are associated with dependent variables.
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