UNIT 1 - INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL
WORK STATISTICS
Module 2: Variables
Member:
AGAPITO
GALLETO
SOLIS
MATI ONG
ESPINO
ADORNA
Variables are those characteristics which
can take on more than one value and which
shows variation from person to person or
from case to case or from event to event. If
for instance, a researcher observes a group
of individuals and measures their age,
height, weight, intelligence, achievement
and attitudes, such characteristics are called
variables because one would expect to find
variations from person to person of these
attributes. The types of variables are:
Quantitative, Qualitative, Independent,
Dependent, Discrete, Continuous, and
Suppressor Variables.
Quantitative Variable
These are variables which vary in quantity
and are therefore recorded in numerical
form, examples are age, test scores, time
required to solve problems, height, weight
etc.
Qualitative Variable
These are variables which vary in quality
and may be recorded by means of a verbal
label or through the use of code numbers.
Examples are sex, colour of hair or eyes,
handedness, shape of face etc.
Independent Variable
These are the variables which are
manipulated in an experimental study by the
experimenter in order to see what effect
changes in those variables have on the other
variable which is hypothesized to be
dependent upon it. Variations in an
independent variable are presumed to result
in variations in the dependent variable.
Dependent Variables
These are variables so called because their
values are thought to depend on, or vary
with the values of the independent variables.
Note that in non- experimental studies the
independent variable is not manipulated by
the experimenter, but is a pre-existing
variable which is hypothesized to influence
a dependent variable.
Example: The researcher wants to
determine the effects of use of social media
in the academic performance of students.
Independent: use of social media.
Dependent: academic performance.
How does the amount of sleep impact test
scores?
Independent Variable: Time spent on
sleeping before the exam
Dependent Variable: Test Score
What is the effect of fast food on blood
pressure?
Independent Variable: Consumption of
fast food
Dependent Variable: Blood Pressure
What is the effect of caffeine on sleep?
Independent Variable: the amount of
caffeine consumed
Dependent Variable: Sleep
Discrete Variables
These are variables which can take on only a
specific set of values. These variables can
only yield whole number values, and no
fractions. Take for instance, the number of
students in a class. This can be 35, 40, 42,
45 etc, but cannot be 351⁄2 or 401⁄4 etc.
Family size is another discrete variable.
Take your own family for example, your
family may be composed of 4, 5, 7or more
people, but values between the numbers or
fractions would not be possible, as you
cannot have 41⁄2 or 51⁄2 etc. people.
Discrete variables may be either qualitative
– sex, marital status, handedness, state of
origin, nationality, or quantitative – number
of books in the library, number of goats in
the farm, number of graduate teachers in the
school, number of boys doing chemistry in a
class etc.
These are variables which can assume any
values, including fractional values, within a
range of values. In other words, continuous
variables are measured in both whole and
fractional units.
Example: time of person can hold his
breathe
height and weight of a person body
temperature
Continuous Variables
These are variables which can assume any
values, including fractional values, within a
range of values. In other words, continuous
variables are measured in both whole and
fractional units. Age, height, weight,
intelligent test, achievement test scores,
daily
caloric intake, time, length etc. are all
examples of continuous variables. An
individual can be described as 121⁄2 years
old, 1.7m tall, and weight of 70.3kg etc.
These variables are always quantitative in
nature and exist along a continuum from the
smallest amount of the variable at one
extreme to the largest amount possible at the
another end. For instance, to go from 25 to
26, one must pass through a large number of
fractional parts such as 25.0, 25.1, 25.2 etc.
Measurement here is always an
approximation of the true value. This is
because no matter how accurately you try to
measure, it is not possible to measure and
record all the possible values of a
continuous variable. These are measured
therefore, to the nearest convenient unit.
Take 25.0 to 25.1 as an example, you will
note that from 25.0 you have 25.001,
25.002, 25.003 etc. 25.01, 25.02, 25.03 etc.
It can be endless to count from 25.0 to 26.
Suppressor Variable
A suppressor variable is one whose function
in a regression equation is to suppress in
other independent variables that variance
which is not represented in the criterion but
which may be in some variable that does
otherwise correlate with the criterion.