An independent variable (IV) is a variable that is manipulated by a researcher to investigate whether it consequently brings change in another variable. This other variable, which is measured and predicted to be dependent upon the IV, is therefore named the dependent variable (DV).
Target Terms: Dependent Variable, Independent Variable Dependent Variable Definition: The target behavior which the intervention is designed to change. It depends on the environment to change it. Example in clinical context: A client’s eloping behavior which is targeted for intervention.
Explore independent and dependent variables in psychological research, their relationship, experimental design, and result interpretation for effective studies.
A simple explanation of the difference between independent and dependent variables, including several examples of each.
What are Independent and Dependent Variables? The relationship between the independent variable (IV) and the dependent variable (DV) is critical to understanding how your experimental design may be affecting behavior. The relationship between these variables will help you predict and control behavior through your interventions.
A moderating variable is a variable that influences the strength or direction of the relationship between an independent variable and a dependent variable. In other words, moderating variables affect how much (or how little) the IV affects the DV, or whether the IV has a positive or negative relationship with the DV (i.e., moves in the same or ...
The DV is assumed to be affected by the IV, hence the term ‘dependent’ (its value depends on the state of the IV). For example, if an experimenter wanted to find out whether time spent studying improves exam results, the IV would be time spent studying and the DV would be exam results.
There are two main variables when it comes to psychological research, these are; (1) The Independent Variable (IV) the variable that is manipulated/changed (2) The Dependent Variable (DV) the variable that is measured (e.g. it measures whether or not the IV has influence human behaviour). When carrying out a piece of research, a psychologists main concern is looking at the effects of just the ...
Sloppy or vague research looks at variables like "memory" or "intelligence" and compares cariables like "age" or "role-models". Operationalising means stating your IV and DV in ways that make it obvious how they are being manipulated or measured. In particular, an operationalised DV will create quantitative data. For example:
Reviewing independent and dependent variable examples can be the key to grasping what makes these concepts different. Explore these simple explanations here.
In the Scientific Method example, the DV was the points earned on the first paper. The DV is what we want to improve, and the IV is a group that we think will do better on the DV plus at least one comparison group (sometimes called a control group).
The DV is the variable which is measured by the researcher as a result of the manipulation of the IV. For example, in the experiment that researches the impact of sleep deprivation on test performance, test performance would be the dependent variable.
The IV is what is being manipulated by the researcher. In other words, it is the factor that changes in the different conditions of the experiment. The aim of an experiment, therefore, is usually to investigate the effect of the IV on the DV. Take this example: Mr Dixon wants to find out if fertilizer actually works for making his garden grown.
Learn about independent and dependent variables in research, their differences, and real-life examples. Understand how to identify these variables and apply them in A-Level Psychology exam questions.
In most of my undergraduate statistics courses, I begin with a lesson on Independent Variables (IV) and Dependent Variables (DV). Identifying the IV and DV is essential to understanding most statistical procedures (i.e. correlation, t-test, regression, etc.), which makes the topic extremely important to master. For this reason, this page is a little blurb on…
