Types of Variables and

Hypothesis Development
• A variable is anything that may assume
different numerical values.
• A variable is anything that can take on differing or
varying values.
• The values can differ at various times for the same
object or person, or at the same time for different
objects or persons.
• Examples of variables are production units,
absenteeism, and motivation.
 Types of Variables
• Dependent Variable (Criterion variable)
• Independent Variable (Predictor Variable)
• Mediating Variable (Intervening variable)
• Moderating variable
 Dependent Variable
• The variable of primary interest to the
researcher.
• Researcher's goal is to understand and
describe the dependent variable, or to
explain its variability, or predict it.
• In other words, it is the main variable that
lends itself for investigation as a viable
factor.
 Dependent Variable
• Through the analysis of the dependent
variable (i.e., finding what variables
influence it), it is possible to find answers
or solutions to the problem.
• For this purpose, the researcher will be
interested in quantifying and measuring the
dependent variable, as well as the other
variables that influence this variable.
 Dependent Variable
Examples:
Increase in Sales
Organizational performance
Employee performance

• It is possible to have more than one

dependent variable in a study.
 Independent/Predictor Variable
Independent variable is one that influences
the dependent variable in either a positive
or negative way.
• When the independent variable is present,
the dependent variable is also present,
• with each unit of increase in the
independent variable, there is an increase or
decrease in the dependent variable.
 Independent/Predictor Variable
• To establish that a change in the
independent variable causes a change in the
dependent variable, four conditions should
be met:
1.The independent and the dependent variable
should covary (a change in
the dependent variable should be associated
with a change in the independent variable.
 Independent/Predictor Variable
2. The independent variable (the presumed
causal factor) should precede the dependent
variable. In other words,
• There must be a time sequence in which the
two occur: the cause must occur before the
effect.
3. No other factor should be a possible cause
of the change in the dependent variable.
• Hence, the researcher should control for the
effects of other variables.
 Independent/Predictor Variable
4. A logical explanation (a theory) is needed
about why the independent variable affects
the dependent variable.
 Mediating Variable
• A mediating variable (or intervening
variable) is one that surface/float up
between the time the independent variable
start operating to influence the dependent
variable.
• The mediating variable explain the
influence of the independent variable on the
dependent variable.
 Moderating Variable

• Moderating variable is one that has a strong

contingent effect on the direction and/or
strength independent variable–dependent
variable relationship.
• It modifies the original relationship between
the independent and the dependent
variables.
 Hypothesis Testing
• A hypothesis is a proposition that is
empirically testable. It is an empirical
statement concerned with the relationship
among variables.
• Hypotheses are derived from the theory on
which your conceptual model is based and
are often relational in nature.
• By testing the hypotheses it is expected that
solutions can be found to correct the problem
encountered.
 Types of Hypothesis

• Directional & Non-directional hypotheses

• Null & Alternative Hypothesis

 Directional Hypothesis
• Directional hypothesis states the
relationship between two variables or
comparing two groups, in positive,
negative, more than, less than,
• Must indicate the direction of the
relationship between the variables
(positive/negative).
 Non-directional Hypothesis
• Non-directional hypotheses are those that do
postulate a relationship or difference, but offer
no indication of the direction of these
relationships or differences.
• There is a significant relationship between two
variables,
• We may not be able to say whether the
relationship is positive or negative.
• There is a relationship between age and job
satisfaction.
 Null & Alternative Hypothesis
• The hypothetico-deductive method requires
that hypotheses are falsifiable.
• They must be written in such a way that
other researchers can show them to be false.
• A null hypothesis (H0) is a hypothesis set
up to be rejected in order to support an
alternate hypothesis, labeled HA.
• For instance, the null hypothesis may state
that advertising does not affect sales, or that
women and men buy equal amounts of
shoes.
• Null hypothesis may state that the
correlation between two variables is equal
to zero (or some other definite number).
• Typically, the null statement is expressed in
terms of there being no (significant)
relationship between two variables or no
(significant) difference between two groups.
 Null & Alternative Hypothesis
• The alternate hypothesis, which is the
opposite of the null, is a statement
expressing a relationship between two
variables or indicating differences between
groups.