Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lecture 1
Lecture 1
Lecture 1
Variables
• A variable is anything that can take on differing or
varying values.
Type Of Variables:
1. Independent Variable: A variable that influences
the dependant or criterion variable and accounts
for (or explains) its variance
2. Dependant Variable: The variable of primary
interest to the study, also known as criterion
variable.
Difference Between Independent and Dependant
Variable
I DV
V Small a/c
Savers
MV
Types of Variables
• Whether a variable is independant or
moderating variable depends often on the
way we pose the hypothesis. For example if
we are studying the impact of size of a/c on
various saver actions we might well treat
“small a/c savers” as an IV rather than MV
Types of Variables
II. Example of Moderating Variable:
The introduction of a four-day week (IV) leads to
an increase in productivity (DV)
i.e.;
IV DV
Young
Workers M
V
Types of Variables
If you were interested in studying the impact of
length of work week, you would make the length of
week as IV. But if you were focusing on the
relationship of age of workers and productivity you
might use work week as a moderating variable
Types of Variables
4. Intervening Variable: (IVV)
That factor which theoretically affects the observed
phenomenon but cannot be seen, measured or
manipulated, its effect must be inferred from the effects
of IV & MV on the observed phenomenon.
Example: A promotion campaign (IV) brings increased
savings (DV) By increasing motivation to save (IVV) but
the effect is more pronounced in small a/c savers (MV)
Types of Variables
• Example
MV
Types of Variables
• Explanation: An intervening variable is one that
surface between the time their impact is felt on it.
There is a time dimension to the intervening
variable. The IVV surfaces as a function of the IV
operating in any situation and helps to
conceptualize and explain the influence of IV on the
DV.
• Moreover it is easy to differentiate among an IV, IVV
and a MV
Contd.
Types of Variables
• The IV helps to explain the variance in the DV. The
intervening variable surfaces at a time as a function
of IV which also helps us to conceptualize the
relationship between the IV, DV and MV has a
contingent effect on the relationship between two
variables.
Other Types of Variables
5. Discrete / Classificatory/ Categorical Variables : Any
variable that has a limited number of distinct
values
Which consists of only two variables i.e.; male and
female
6. Continuous Variable: Any variable that has an
infinite number of values
Which is continuous i.e.; the age of the person,
sales, profitability
7. Extraneous Variable: Which has a cause and effect
relationship
A Research Problem
• Defining a research problem is the fuel that
drives the scientific process, and is the
foundation of any research method and
experimental design, from true experiment to
case study.
Steps to Defining Research
Problems
Area
a Narrow
N SSources Evaluate Statement
Balance
Format