Research

Variables
Objectives

• Differentiate independent
from dependent variable
• Assign experimental and
control groups
•Variable – is a
property or
quantity that can
take on different
values
Question

• What are the variables

in the study titled “ The
Effect of Light and
Temperature on the
Growth of Tomatoes” ?
Answer

• 1. growth of tomatoes measured in

terms of number of leaves per plant,
length of stem, number of flowers
per plant, and yield per plant
• 2. intensity, wavelength, frequency,
and color of light
• 3. type of temperature and
temperature in degree Celsius
Types of Variables

• Independent Variable –
manipulated and values
are chosen and set by the
researcher
• Value is independent of
the behavior of the subject
Effect of Light and Temperature
on the Growth of Tomatoes

•3 intensity levels of
light
•Low
•Medium
•High
•2 specific
temperatures
•200C

•35 0C
• Quantitative variable –
can take values
corresponding to the
points on a real line
scale
• Qualitative variable
Dependent variable

•Behavior or change
in characteristic of
the subjects that is
recorded during
experimentation
• Experimental group –
exposed to certain
treatment
• Control group – exposed
to the absence of
treatment
Activity
1. You water three sunflower plants
with salt water. Each plant receives a
different concentration of salt
solution. A fourth plant receives
regular water. After a two-week
period, the height of the plants is
measured. All other environmental
conditions like amount of sunlight, air
quality, temperature, type of soil, etc.
were kept the same for all the plants.
2. One tank of gold fish is fed
the normal amount of food
once a day. A second tank is
fed twice a day. A third tank
is fed four times a day during
a six week study. The fish’s
weight is recorded daily. All
tanks were of the same size
and shape.
3. You want to test which size of
soccer ball is easiest to juggle with
your feet. You test a size 3, size 4
and size 5 ball of the same brand.
You count the seconds the ball stays
in the air for each of the trials. You
allow yourself to use both of your
feet, knees, and head to juggle the
ball. Size 4 is the most common size
for soccer leagues.
4. In a laboratory experiment, the
temperature of air in balloons is
varied and the volume of the
balloons is measured. Balloons of
three different sizes are tested;
small, regular, and large. All
balloons in the experiment were
initially filled to the same air
pressure.
5. The reaction distance
(distance traveled by a car from
spotting an obstacle to stepping
on the brakes) for different
types of drivers is being tested.
Distracted drivers like DUI
(driving under influence),
substance abuse, talking on a
cellphone, texting and driving,
etc. are compared to safe
drivers under similar conditions.
Extraneous Variables
• May affect the behavior or
characteristics of the
experimental subjects that
we are investigating even
though we are not
concerned with these
variables in the present
study
Methods of Controlling
Extraneous Variable
•1. hold it constant
•2. randomize or
distribute randomly
its effect across
treatments
Types of variables based on
the values of measurement

•1. Continuous
variable – take
fractional values
•E.g. length &
weight
• 2. Discontinuous or discrete
variable – assume fixed or
exact amounts and have no
values in between whole
exact numbers or in
between fixed points in a
continuum
• E.g. levels of intensity of light,
temperature levels (25 0C and
35 0C)
Test yourself:
• Smithers thinks that a special
juice will increase the productivity
of workers. He creates two groups
of 50 workers each and assigns
each group the same task (in this
case, they're supposed to staple a
set of papers). Group A is given
the special juice to drink while
they work. Group B is not given
the special juice.
• After an hour, Smithers counts
how many stacks of papers
each group has made. Group A
made 1,587 stacks, Group B
made 2,113 stacks.
Identify:
• 1. Control Group and
Experimental Group
• 2. Independent Variable
• 3. Dependent Variable
• 4. What should Smithers'
conclusion be?
• 5. How could this experiment be
improved?
• Homer notices that his shower is
covered in a strange green slime.
His friend Barney tells him that
coconut juice will get rid of the
green slime. Homer decides to
check this out by spraying half of
the shower with coconut juice. He
sprays the other half of the shower
with water. After 3 days of
"treatment" there is no change in
the appearance of the green slime
on either side of the shower.
Identify:
• 6. What was the initial
observation?
• 7. Control Group and
Experimental Group
• 8. Independent Variable
• 9. Dependent Variable
• 10. What should Homer's
conclusion be?