Independent vs. Dependent Variables | Definition,Tips & Examples – Student Paper Help
Do you plan on starting your research soon? Then you must be prepared to conduct your study properly. For this, you should have the know-how of different types of variables, especially the dependent and independent variable.
Let's first understand the concept of variables — they are any qualities that can assume various values like age, weight, grades in exams, temperature, etc. Students normally estimate or manipulate dependent and independent variables in research to check cause-and-effect correspondences.
In cause and effect relationships, the independent variable signifies cause while the dependent one shows the effect. The value of an independent variable doesn't rely on other variables in the research. On the other hand, the dependent variable’s value relies on variations in the independent variable
Now that you have got an idea of the independent and dependent variables, it's time to dive deep into their concepts. You can also take assistance from “assignment writers near me” if you need further guidance during your research.
What is the Independent Variable?
It is a variable that can be varied and manipulated in an experimental research to discover its impacts. It is called “independent variable” since it remains unaffected by other variables during the study.https://studentpaperhelp.co.uk/assignment-writing-service
Other Names of Independent Variables?
Independent variables also have other names that are specifically employed in statistics to gauge the scope to which an independent variable can vary and to describe or forecast variations in the dependent variable.
These terms are:
- Predictor Variables
- Researchers use them to forecast the value of a dependent variable
- Explanatory Variables
- These variables describe a result or incidence
- Right-hand-side Variables
- They show on the right-hand side of a regression equation.
What is the Dependent Variable?
Dependent variables have some other names in statistics, which include:
Outcome Variables
They signify the result you wish to estimate
Response Variables
They answer to a variation in another variable
Left-hand Side Variables
They show on a regression equation’s left hand side.
Once you have exploited the independent variable, you document the independent one. This estimated information is employed to analyse the possibility and extent of the impact of the independent variable on the dependent one by performing statistical assessments.
Depending on your outcomes, you can measure the extent to which change in the independent variable incites variation in the dependent onr. You can also forecast the amount of change in your dependent variable resulting from the change in the independent variable.
Examples of Independent and Dependent Variables
1- Suppose you formulated a study to conduct an experiment to determine if the room temperature changes can impact performance in maths exams.
Independent variable: temperature of the room
Dependent variable: marks in maths exams
As part of your experiment, you increase the room temperature to make it cooler for 50% of the participants and decrease it for the other half. You estimate the skills of all participants employing a standardised experiment and see if they vary depending on room temperature.
2- An experiment to establish if the number of hours a student sleeps influences grades in their exams.
Independent variable: number of hours spent sleeping
Dependent variable: grades in exams
3- A comparative study of two paper towel brands to check which absorbs the most liquid.
Independent variable: paper towel brands
Dependent variable: amount of liquid held by paper towel
4- An experiment to ascertain the maximum range of people’s sight into the infrared part of the spectrum
Independent variable: the wavelength of light
Dependent variable: the possibility of the light being absorbed
5- An experiment to study the possibility of caffeine’s impact on hunger
Independent variable: the lack or presence of a specific amount of caffeine
Dependent variable: the extent of hunger
6- An experiment to ascertain the possibility of a chemical’s necessity for rats’ nutrition.
Independent variable: lack or presence of the chemical
Dependent variable: rat’s health (whether it would live or could reproduce)
Kinds of Independent Variables
Independent variables can be categorised in two major types.
Experimental Variables
Researchers intentionally change independent variables directly to check how they impact the dependent variables in a study. They normally implement an independent variable at various levels to check how the results vary.
They can implement only two levels to ascertain whether an independent variable influences at all. However, they can also implement several levels to establish the way in which the independent variable impacts the dependent one.
Example: Independent variable levels
Suppose researchers are checking the influence of a new medicine on the sugar levels of diabetic patients.
While keeping the treatment that they manipulate between groups as the independent variable, they choose three levels for it.
They divided their patients into three groups, which are:
- A group that gets a high dose of the new medication
- A group that gets a low dose of the prescribed medicine
- A group that doesn't get any medication (to check a potential placebo impact)
It means every group of participants are getting different treatment levels in the study.
Moreover, you need to haphazardly allocate various levels of an independent variable to your contributors in an actual experiment. Arbitrary allocation aids you in managing participants’ traits, thus they don't impact your study’s outcomes.
It also provides you with faith that your dependent variable outcomes are derived exclusively from controlling the independent variable.
Subject Variables
They are traits that differ across contributors and can't be controlled by the one conducting the study. For instance, ethnicity, race, qualification, gender identity, wage, etc, are all significant subject variables that social research scholars use as independent variables.
You can’t randomly allocate these to participants as these are traits of already existing categories. Rather, you can design a study in which you weigh the results of categories of participants with traits against each other.
It becomes a quasi-experimental design as you are not arbitrarily allocating variables. Keep in mind that study techniques that utilise non-random assignment can lead to research biases such as sampling bias and selection bias.
Example: Quasi-experimental design
In this type of research, you examine if gender identity impacts brain activity responses to baby cries. Here your independent variable is the participants’ gender identity, which is also the subject variable. The participants are divided into three categories – female, male and other.
Here, the neural responses to cries of babies are the dependent variable. In this research, you conduct fMRI scans to document neural responses of participants’ brains without telling them upon hearing cries of babies.
You also gather data, and then examine the differences, which are outstanding in terms of statistics, between the groups. You detect some and establish that gender identity impacts neural responses to babies’ cries,
Wrapping It Up!
We hope that our piece has helped you comprehend the meaning of independent and dependent variables. We have also stated a few examples to make the concept clear for you. You can find even more on the internet.
Plus, if you still find it difficult to recognise independent and dependent variables, try thinking in terms of cause and effect. Manipulation is another significant difference between the two variables as only the independent one can be manipulated. You can also assess which variable will change as a result of the variation in the other.
Research is difficult, which is why you need to have a solid grasp on the core concepts like variables. Many scholars also take professional help to complete their research work, but some of them charge hefty prices. We recommend you seek cheap dissertation writing service UK if you need help with your research work.
