using independent and dependent variables in a

controlled environment.
Learning Objectives[ edit ]

Explain the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent
variable in a research experiment, and describe how each is manipulated (or
not) by the researcher
Illustrate the stages of an experimental design, and include an explanation of
how comparison groups and random sampling are used

Key Points[ edit ]

o Experiments are generally the most precise studies and have the most
conclusive power. They are particularly effective in supporting
hypotheses about cause and effect relationships. However, since the
conditions in an experiment are artificial, they may not apply to
everyday situations.
o A well-designed experiment has features that control random
variables to make sure that the effect measured is caused by the
independent variable being manipulated. These features include
random assignment, use of a control group, and use of a single or
double-blind design.
o An experimenter decides how to manipulate the independent variable
while measuring only the dependent variable. In a good experiment,
only the independent variable will affect the dependent variable.

Terms[ edit ]

dependent variable

The aspect or subject of an experiment that is influenced by the manipulated

aspect; an outcome measured to see the effectiveness of the treatment.

independent variable

The variable that is changed or manipulated in a series of experiments.

random assignment
 Random assignment of subjects to experimental and control conditions is a
process used to evenly distribute the individual qualities of the participants
across the conditions.

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Full Text[ edit ]

Experimental research in psychology applies the scientific method to achieve the

four goals of psychology: describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling
behavior and mental processes. A psychologist can use experimental research to test
a specific hypothesis by measuring and manipulating variables. By creating a
controlled environment, researchers can test the effects of an independent variable on
a dependent variable or variables.

For example, a psychologist may be interested in the impact of video game violence
on children's aggression. The psychologist randomly assigns some children to play a
violent video game for 1 hour and other children to play a non-violent video game
for 1 hour. Then the psychologist observes the children socialize afterwards to
determine if the children in the "violent video game" condition behave more
aggressively than the children in the "non-violent video game" condition. In this
example, the independent variable is video game group. Our independent variable
has two levels: violent video games and non-violent video games. The dependent
variable is the thing that we want to measurein this case, aggressive behavior.

Independent and Dependent Variables

In an experimental study, the independent variable is the factor that the experimenter
controls and manipulates. This variable is hypothesized to be the cause of a particular
outcome of interest. The dependent variable, on the other hand, depends on the
independent variable, and will change (or not) because of the independent variable.
The dependent variable is the variable that we want to measure (as opposed to
manipulate). In a simple experiment, a researcher might hypothesize that cookies will
make individuals complete a task quicker. In one condition, participants will be
offered cookies if they complete a task, while in another condition they will not be
offered cookies. In this case the presence of a reward (receiving cookies or not) is the
independent variable, and the time taken to complete the task is the dependent
variable.
Screenshot 2015-07-26 11.46.24.png
Effects of receiving a cookie as a reward (independent variable) on time taken to
complete task (dependent variable). As shown in the figure, participants who
received a cookie took much less time to complete the task than participants who did
not receive a cookie.

An experiment can have more than one independent variable. A researcher might
decide to test the hypothesis that cookies will make individuals work harder only if
the task is easy to begin with. In this case, both the presence of a reward and the
difficulty of the task would be independent variables.

Experimental Design
The purpose of an experiment is to investigate the relationship between two variables
to test a hypothesis. By using the scientific method , a psychologist can plan and
design an experiment that will answer the research question. The basic steps of
experimental design are:

Identifying a question and performing preliminary research to determine what

is already known
Creating a hypothesis
Identifying and defining the independent and dependent variables
Determining how the independent variable will be manipulated and how the
dependent variable will be measured
The Scientific Method
The scientific method is the process by which new scientific knowledge is gained
and verified. First you must identify a question and, after some preliminary research,
form a hypothesis to answer that question. After designing an experiment to test the
hypothesis and collecting data from the experiment, a scientist will draw a
conclusion. The conclusion will either support the hypothesis or refute it. The
scientist will then either reformulate the hypothesis or build upon the original
hypothesis. The scientific method cannot prove a hypothesis, only support or refute
it.

Experimental Design: Important

Principles
A poorly designed study will not produce reliable data. There are key components
that must be included in every experiment: the inclusion of a comparison group
(known as a "control group"), the use of random assignment, and efforts to eliminate
bias. When a study is designed properly, the only difference between groups is the
one made by the researcher.

Control Groups
Control groups are used to determine if the independent variable actually affects the
dependent variable. The control group demonstrates what happens when the
independent variable is not applied. The control group helps researchers balance the
effects of being in an experiment with the effects of the independent variable. This
helps to ensure that there are no random variables also influencing behavior. In an
experiment monitoring productivity, for instance, it was hypothesized that additional
lighting would increase productivity in factory workers. When workers were
observed in additional lighting they were more productive, but only because they
were being watched. If a control group was also observed with no additional lighting
this effect would have been obvious.

Random Assignment
To minimize the chances that an unintended variable influences the results, subjects
must be assigned randomly to different treatment groups. Random assignment is
used to ensure that any preexisting differences among the subjects do not impact the
experiment. By distributing differences randomly between the conditions, random
assignment lowers the chances that factors like age, socioeconomic status,
personality measures, and other individual variables will affect the overall group's
response to the independent variable. Theoretically, the baseline of both the
experimental and control groups will be the same before the experiment starts.
Therefore, if there is a difference in the behavior of the two groups at the end of the
experiment, the only reason would be the treatment given to the experimental group.
In this way, an experiment can prove a cause-and-effect connection between the
independent and dependent variables.

Blinding and Experimenter Bias

To preserve the integrity of the control group, both researcher(s) and subject(s) may
be "blinded." If a researcher expects certain results from an experiment and
accordingly unknowingly influences the subjects' responses, this is called demand
bias. If the experimenter inadvertently interprets the information in a way that
supports the hypothesis when other interpretations are possible, it is called the
expectancy effect. To counteract experimenter bias, the subjects can be kept
uninformed on the intentions of the experiment, which is called single blinding. If the
people collecting the information and the participants are kept uninformed, then it is
called a double blind experiment. By using blinding, a researcher can eliminate the
chances that they are inadvertently influencing the outcome of the experiment.

Counterbalancing
When running an experiment, a researcher will want to pay close attention to their
design to avoid error that can be introduced by not balancing the conditions properly.
Consider the following example. You are running a study in which participants
complete a task of pressing button A with their left hand if they see a green light and
pressing button B with their right hand if they see a red light. You find support for
your hypothesis that red stimuli are processed more quickly than green stimuli.
However, an alternative explanation is that people are faster to respond with their
right hand simply because most people are right-handed. The solution to this problem
is to "counterbalance" your design. You will randomly assign 50% of your
participants to respond to the red stimulus with their right hand (and green with their
left) and assign the other 50% to respond to the red stimulus with their left hand (and
green with their right). In this manner, you are anticipating and controlling for this
extra source of error in your design.

Strengths and Weaknesses of

Experimental Research
One of the main strengths of experimental research is that it can often determine a
cause and effect relationship between two variables. By systematically manipulating
and isolating the independent variable, the researcher can determine with confidence
the independent variable's causal effect on the dependent variable. Another strength
of experimental research is the ability to assign participants to different
conditions through random assignment. Randomly assigning participants to
conditions ensures that each participant is equally likely to be assigned to one
condition or another, and that there are no differences between experimental groups.

Although experimental research can often answer the causality questions that are left
unclear by correlational studies, this is not always the case. Sometimes experiments
may not be possible or ethical. Consider the example of the studying the correlation
between playing violent video games and aggressive behavior. It would be unethical
to assign children to play lots of violent video games over a long period of time to
see if it had an impact on their aggression. Additionally, because experimental
research relies on controlled, artificial environments, it can at times be difficult to
generalize to real world situations, depending on the experiment's design and sample
size. If this is the case, the experiment is said to have poor external validity, meaning
that the situation the participants were exposed to bears little resemblance to any
real-life situation.

Source: Boundless. Experimental Research. Boundless Psychology. Boundless, 27

Aug. 2015. Retrieved 23 Nov. 2015 from
https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks/boundless-psychology-
textbook/researching-psychology-2/types-of-research-studies-27/experimental-
research-126-12661/