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How Are Variables Used in Psychology

Research?
By Kendra Cherry Fact checked by James Lacy Updated on April 07, 2020

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A variable is something that can be changed or varied, such as a characteristic or value.

Variables are generally used in psychology experiments to determine if changes to one
thing result in changes to another.

Variables play a critical role in the psychological research process. By systematically

varying some variables and measuring the e ects on other variables, researchers can
determine if changes to one thing result in changes in something else. Ad

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The Dependent and Independent Variables
In a psychology experiment: [1]

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The independent variable is the variable that is controlled and manipulated by the
experimenter. For example, in an experiment on the impact of sleep deprivation on test
performance, sleep deprivation would be the independent variable.
The dependent variable is the variable that is measured by the experimenter. In our
previous example, the scores on the test performance measure would be the dependent
variable.

Extraneous and Confounding Variables

It is important to note that the independent and dependent variables are not the only
variables present in many experiments. In some cases, extraneous variables may also
play a role. This type of variable is one that may have an impact on the relationship
between the independent and dependent variables.

For example, in our previous description of an experiment on the e ects of sleep

deprivation on test performance, other factors such as age, gender, and academic
background may have an impact on the results. In such cases, the experimenter will
note the values of these extraneous variables so this impact on the results can be
controlled for.
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There are two basic types of extraneous variables:

Participant Variables: These extraneous variables are related to individual

characteristics of each participant that may impact how he or she responds. These
factors can include background di erences, mood, anxiety, intelligence, awareness and
other characteristics that are unique to each person.
Situational Variables: These extraneous variables are related to things in the
environment that may impact how each participant responds. For example, if a
participant is taking a test in a chilly room, the temperature would be considered an
extraneous variable. Some participants may not be a ected by the cold, but others
might be distracted or annoyed by the temperature of the room.

Other extraneous variables include the following:

Demand characteristics: Clues in the environment that suggest how a participant

should behave
Experimenter e ects: When a researcher unintentionally suggests clues for how a
participant should behave

In many cases, extraneous variables are controlled for by the experimenter. In the case
of participant variables, the experiment might select participants that are the same in
background and temperament to ensure that these factors do not interfere with the
results.

Confounding Variables
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If a variable cannot be controlled for, it becomes what is known as a confounding

variable. This type of variable can have an impact on the dependent variable, which
 can make it di cult to determine if the results are due to the in uence of the
independent variable, the confounding variable or an interaction of the two.

Operationally Defining a Variable

Before conducting a psychology experiment, it is essential to create rm operational
de nitions for both the independent variable and dependent variable. An operational
de nition describes how the variables are measured and de ned in the study. [1]

For example, in our imaginary experiment on the e ects of sleep deprivation on test
performance, we would need to create very speci c operational de nitions for our two
variables. If our hypothesis is "Students who are sleep deprived will score signi cantly
lower on a test," then we would have a few di erent concepts to de ne. First, what do
we mean by students? In our example, let’s de ne students as participants enrolled in
an introductory university-level psychology course.

Next, we need to operationally de ne the sleep deprivation variable. In our example,

let’s say that sleep deprivation refers to those participants who have had less than ve
hours of sleep the night before the test. Finally, we need to create an operational
de nition for the test variable. For this example, the test variable will be de ned as a
student’s score on a chapter exam in the introductory psychology course.

Students often report problems with identifying the independent and dependent
variables in an experiment. While the task can become more di cult as the complexity
of an experiment increases, there are a few questions you can ask when trying to Ad

identify a variable.
What is the experimenter manipulating? The things that change, either naturally or
through direct manipulation from the experimenter, are generally the independent
variables. What is being measured? The dependent variable is the one that the
experimenter is measuring.

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