Variable and the corelate

between variable
INTRODUCTION
• Each person/thing, we collect data on is called an observation
(in our research work these are usually people/subjects).
• Observation (participants) possess a variety of characteristics.
• If a characteristic of an observation (participant) is the same
for every member of the group i.e. it does not vary, it is called
a constant
• If a characteristic of an observation (participant) differs for
group members it is called a variable.
MEANING OF VARIABLES
• A variable is a concept or abstract idea that can be
described in measurable terms. In research, this term
refers to the measurable characteristics, qualities, traits, or
attributes of a particular individual, object, or situation
being studied.
• Anything that can vary can be considered a variable. For
instance, age can be considered a variable because age can take
different values for different people or for the same person at
different times. Similarly, Income can be considered a variable
because a person's Income can be assigned a value.
Variable

• Variables are properties or characteristics

of some event, object, or person that can
take on different values or amounts.
• A variable is not only something that we
measure, but also something that we can
manipulate and something we can control
for.
What is a Variable?
• Simply, something that varies.
• Specifically, variables represent persons or
objects that can be manipulated, controlled, or
merely measured for the sake of research.
• Variation: How much a variable varies. Those
with little variation are called constants.
TYPES OF VARIABLES

1.Continuous and Discontinuous variables

2.Dependent and Independent Variables
3.Moderating Variables
4.Intervening Variables
5.Extraneous Variables
Dependent and Independent Variables
• Independent variables are variables that manipulate or
control or change the dependent variable. It is what the
researcher studies to see its relationship or effects. #
Presumed or possible cause
• Dependent variables are the outcome variables and are the
variables for which we calculate statistics. The variable
which changes on account of independent variable is known
as dependent variable. i.e. It is influenced or affected by the
independent variable # Presumed results(Effect)
The Relationship between Independent and
Dependent Variables

Independent Dependent
variable (S) Affects variable (s)

Presumed or Presumed
possible cause results
Example
• Imagine that a tutor asks 100 students to complete a maths test. The
tutor wants to know why some students perform better than others.
• Whilst the tutor does not know the answer to this, she thinks that it
might be because of two reasons:
• (1) some students spend more time revising for their test; and
• (2) some students are naturally more intelligent than others.
• As such, the tutor decides to investigate the effect of revision time
and intelligence on the test performance of the 100 students. What
are the dependent and independent variables for the study ?
Solution

• Dependent Variable: Test Mark (measured

from 0 to 100)
• Independent Variables: Revision time
(measured in hours) Intelligence (measured
using IQ score)
Dependent vs Independent variables
• Independent = cause
• Dependent = effect
Activity

Identify the dependent and Independent

Variables for the following examples:
1. A study of teacher-student classroom
interaction at different levels of schooling.
2. A comparative study of the professional
attitudes of secondary school teachers by
gender.
Solution
1. Independent variable: Level of schooling, four
categories – primary, upper primary, secondary and junior
college.
• Dependent variable: Score on a classroom observation
inventory, which measures teacher – student interaction
2. Independent variable: Gender of the teacher – male,
female.
• Dependent variable: Score on a professional attitude
inventory.
• Example: What affects a student’s arrival to
class?
• Variables:
• Type of School – Liberals Arts v. University
• Type of Student – Athlete? Gender? GPA?
• Time – Bedtime, Waking, Arrival
• Mode of Transportation
Dependent Variables
• Dependent variables are not controlled or
manipulated in any way, but instead are simply
measured or registered.
• These vary in relation to the independent variables,
and while results can be predicted, the data is always
measured.
• There can be any number of dependent variables, but
usually there is one to isolate reason for variation.
Independent Variables
• These variables are ones that are more or less
controlled.
• Scientists manipulate these variables as they see
fit.
• They still vary, but the variation is relatively
known or taken into account.
• Often there are many variable in a given study.
 Independent vs. Dependent
• Controlled • Intentionally manipulated
• Vary at known rate • Measured
• Cause • Vary at unknown rate
• Intentionally left alone • Effect
Moderator Variable
• It is a special type of independent variable.
• The independent variable’s relationship with the
dependent variable may change under different
conditions. That condition is the moderator variable.
• That factor which is measured, manipulated, or
selected by the experimenter to discover whether it
modifies the relationship of the independent variable
to an observed phenomenon.
Moderating variable
• variabel yang memperkuat atau memperlemah hubungan antara satu
variabel dengan variabel lain.
• contoh: seorang suami menyayangi istrinya. Dengan hadirnya seorang
anak, maka rasa sayang tersebut bertambah. Berarti variabel anak
merupakan moderating antara rasa sayang suami terhadap istri.
• Contoh lain: kompensasi memperkuat pengaruh antara kepuasan kerja
terhadap kinerja. Artinya kepuasan kerja berpengaruh terhadap kinerja,
dan adanya kompensasi yang tinggi maka pengaruh antara kepuasan
kerja terhadap kinerja menjadi lebih meningkat. Dalam hal ini,
kompensasi bisa saja berpengaruh terhadap kinerja bisa saja tidak.
 Mediator vs Moderator

Independent Dependent
variable
Mediator Variable

Moderator
Independent Dependent
variable Variable

Kepuasan Kinerja
Kompensasi
Example
• A strong relationship has been observed between the quality of
library facilities (X) and the performance of the students (Y).
• Although this relationship is supposed to be true generally, it is
nevertheless contingent on the interest (minat) and inclination
(kecenderungan) of the students. It means that only those students
who have the interest and inclination to use the library will show
improved performance in their studies.
• In this relationship interest and inclination is moderating
variable i.e. which moderates the strength of the association
between X and Y variables
VARIABEL INTERVENING/MEDIATING/mediator

• Variabel intervening merupakan variabel antara atau mediating.

• Fungsinya memediasi hubungan antara variabel independent dengan
variabel dependent

Wealth

Earns Income
• Ciri khas variabel intervening atau mediator (terutama dalam
penelitian keperilakuan/ sosial) adalah mudah berubah, misalnya rasa
puas, sedih, benci, emosi, mood dan lain-lain.

• Sedangkan variabel moderator lebih susah berubah seperti masa

kerja, usia, kepribadian, budaya dan lain-lain.
Spurious (palsu) relationships
• A spurious relationship exists where two variables are not
related but a relationship between them is generated by
their relationships with a third variable.
• For example:

Age

Spurious relationship
Height Reading ability
 Intervening variables
• Sometimes, although there is a real (non-spurious) relationship between two
variables, we want to establish why that relationship exists.
• For example, if we discover that there is a relationship between risk of unemployment
and ethnicity, we want to know why that is the case. One possibility is that some
ethnic groups have lower educational levels and that this has implications for their
ability to get work. In this case, education would be an intervening variable.

Ethnicity Education Unemployment

• Intervening variables enable us to answer questions about the bivariate relationship

between two variables – suggesting that (in this case) the relationship between
ethnicity and unemployment is not direct but (at least in part) occurs via educational
levels.
 Is it spurious or intervening?
When we do statistical tests we will find similar results for a spurious variable
and an intervening variable:
In both cases the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable
will be moderated by the third variable.
So how do we know whether this third variable provides evidence of a spurious
relationship or is an intervening variable?
• There is no hard-and-fast statistical rule for deciding this.
• But if we are suggesting that a variable is intervening, the logic of the process must
make sense – i.e. you must have a cogent theoretical reason for thinking that your
independent variable affects the intervening variable which in turn affects the dependent
variable.
• This kind of causal process is easiest to argue for when the timing supports it, i.e. when
the intervening variable can be seen to occur in between the independent and dependent
variables (e.g. education in the earlier example of the relationship between ethnicity and
unemployment).
 What’s the difference between mediator
and moderator?
You can think of a mediator as a go-between for two variables. For example,
sleep quality (an independent variable) can affect academic achievement (a
dependent variable) through the mediator of alertness. In a mediation
relationship, you can draw an arrow from an independent variable to a mediator
and then from the mediator to the dependent variable.

In contrast, a moderator is something that acts upon the relationship between

two variables and changes its direction or strength.
• For example, mental health status may moderate the relationship between
sleep quality and academic achievement: the relationship might be
stronger for people without diagnosed mental health conditions than for
people with them.
Quantitative and Qualitative Variables
• Quantitative variables are ones that exist along a
continuum that runs from low to high. Interval, and
ratio variables are quantitative.
• Quantitative variables are sometimes called
continuous variables because they have a variety
(continuum) of characteristics.
• Height in inches and scores on a test would be
examples of quantitative variables.
Quantitative and Qualitative Variables
• Qualitative variables do not express differences in
amount, only differences.
• They are sometimes referred to as categorical
variables because they classify by categories.
Ordinal, and Nominal variables are qualititative
• Nominal variables such as gender, religion, or eye
color are categorical variables. Generally speaking,
categorical variables
Variable Qualitative: Nominal- Ordinal
Quantitative: Interval- Ratio
• Variables :
• Qualitative
• Nominal
• Ordinal
• Quantitative
• Interval
• Ratio
Nominal Scale

• Nominal Scale, also called the categorical

variable scale, is defined as a scale used for
labelling variables into distinct
classifications and doesn’t involve a
quantitative value or order.
• This scale is the simplest of the four variable
measurement scales.
Nominal Scale Examples
• Gender
• Political preferences
• Place of residence
• What is your Gender ? M- Male; F- Female
• What is your Political preference? 1- Independent;
2- Democrat; 3- Republican
• Where do you live? 1- Suburbs; 2- City; 3- Town
Ordinal Scale
• Ordinal Scale is defined as a variable measurement
scale used to simply depict the order of
variables(what’s important and significant) and not the
difference between each of the variables(differences
between each one is not really known)
• For example, is the difference between “OK” and
“Unhappy” the same as the difference between “Very
Happy” and “Happy?” We can’t say.
• Ordinal scales are typically measures of non- numeric concepts
like satisfaction, happiness, discomfort, etc.
• “Ordinal” is easy to remember because is sounds like “order” and
that’s the key to remember with “ordinal scales”–it is the order
that matters.
• Example: On a survey you might code Educational Attainment as
0=less than high school; 1=some high school.; 2=high school
degree; 3=some college; 4=college degree; 5=post college. In this
measure, higher numbers mean more education. But is distance
from 0 to 1 same as 3 to 4? Of course not.
Interval scale
• Interval Scale is defined as a numerical scale where the
order of the variables is known as well as the difference
between these variables. Variables which have familiar,
constant and computable differences are classified using
the Interval scale.
• Interval scale contains all the properties of ordinal scale, in
addition to which, it offers a calculation of the difference
between variables. The main characteristic of this scale is
the equidistant difference between objects.
• In statistics, interval scale is frequently used as a
numerical value can not only be assigned to
variables but calculation on the basis of those
values can also be carried out.
• Calendar years and time also fall under this
category of measurement scales.
• Likert scale is the most-used interval scale
examples.
Ratio Scale
• Ratio Scale is defined as a variable measurement
scale that not only produces the order of variables but
also makes the difference between variables known
along with information on the value of true zero.
• It is calculated by assuming that the variables have an
option for zero, the difference between the two
variables is the same and there is a specific order
between the options.
• In addition to the fact that the ratio scale does everything that a
nominal, ordinal and interval scale can do, it can also establish the
value of absolute zero.
• Examples The following questions fall under the Ratio Scale
category:
• What is your daughter’s current height? – Less than 5 feet. – 5 feet
1 inch – 5 feet 5 inches – 5 feet 6 inches- 6 feet – More than 6 feet
• What is your weight in kilograms? – Less than 50 kilograms – 51-
70 kilograms – 71- 90 kilograms – 91-110 kilograms – More than
110 kilograms
Continuous and Discontinuous Variables
• If the values of a variable can be divided into
fractions then we call it a continuous variable.
• Such a variable can take infinite number of
values. Income, temperature, age, or a test
score are examples of continuous variables.
• These variables may take on values within a
given range or, in some cases, an infinite set.
 Discontinuous Variable

• Any variable that has a limited number of distinct values and which
cannot be divided into fractions, is a discontinuous variable.
• Such a variable is also called as categorical variable or classificatory
variable, or discrete variable.
• Some variables have only two values, reflecting the presence or absence
of a property: employed-unemployed or male-female have two values.
These variables are referred to as dichotomous.
• There are others that can take added categories such as the demographic
variables of race, religion. All such variables that produce data that fit
into categories are said to be discrete/categorical/classificatory, since
only certain values are possible.
Dichotomous, Trichotomous, and multiple
VARIABLES
• Examples Dichotomous
• Gender:Male and female
• Variables Type of property: Commercial and residential
• Pregnant and non pregnant
• Alive and dead
• HIV positive and HIV negative
• Education: Literate and illiterate
• Trichotomous
• Residence:Urban, semi urban and rural Variables
• Religion: Hindu, muslim, and Christianity.
• Multiple Variables
• Blood groups: A,B,AB and O
DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES:
• “Demographic variables are characteristics or attributes of
subjects that are collected to describe the sample”. They are also
called sample characteristics.
• It means these variables describe study sample and determine if
samples are representative of the population of interest.
• Although demographic variables cannot be manipulated,
researchers can explain relationships between demographic
variables and d e p e n d e nt v a r i a b l e s .
• Some common demographic variables are age, gender,
occupation, marital status, income etc.
Extraneous variable - confounding variable
• It happens sometimes that after completion of the study
we wonder that the actual result is not what we expected.
In spite of taking all the possible measures the outcome is
unexpected. It is because of extraneous variables
• Variables that may affect research outcomes but have not
been adequately considered in the study are termed as
extraneous variables. Extraneous variables exist in all
studies and can affect the measurement of study variables
and the relationship among these variables.
Confounding variable and Intervening
variable
• Extraneous variables that are not recognized until the
study is in process, or are recognized before the study is
initiated but cannot be controlled, are referred to as
confounding variables. These variables interferes the
results of the existing activity.
• Certain external variables may influence the relationship
between the research variables, even though researcher
cannot see it. These variables are called intervening
variables.
Control Variable
• Sometimes certain characteristics of the objects under scrutiny are
deliberately left unchanged. These are known as constant or controlled
variables.
• The variables that are not measured in a particular study must be held
constant, neutralized/balanced, or eliminated, so they will not have a
biasing effect on the other variables.
• In the ice cube experiment, one constant or controllable variable could
be the size and shape of the cube. By keeping the ice cubes' sizes and
shapes the same, it's easier to measure the differences between the
cubes as they melt after shifting their positions, as they all started out
as the same size.
Observed variable and Unobserved (laten)
variable
• Observe variable: variable yang diukur secara langsung berdasarkan
nilai skala yang ditunjukkan oleh alat ukur
• Contoh: TB, BB, luas bangunan, pendapatan

• Unobserved variable: variable yang diukur melalui indikator yang

dapat digunakan untuk menggambarkan variable tersebut
• Contoh: loyalitas pelanggan, kepuasan kerja, komitmen karyawan
Reflective and formative variable
X1
• Reflectve variable: indicator dipandang
sebagai variable yang dipengaruhi oleh X2 Kepuasan pelanggan
variable laten. Ada pola inter-correlation X3
agar diterima sebagai pengukuran. X4

pendidikan
• Formative variable: indicator dipandang
sebagai variable yang mempengaruhi
variable laten. Tidak harus menunjukkan umur demografi
pola inter-correlation.
Jenis kelamin
• A strong relationship has been observed between the
quality of library facilities (X) and the performance of
the students (Y). Although this relationship is
supposed to be true generally, it is nevertheless
contingent on the interest and inclination of the
students. It means that only those students who have
the interest and inclination to use the library will
show improved performance in their studies.
• In this relationship interest and inclination is
moderating variable i.e. which moderates the
strength of the association between X and Y variables