1. Independent & Dependent Variables
Research Methods
Independent & Dependent Variables

2. Independent Variables
The independent variable is the thing the psychologist changes or manipulates when conducting an experiment.
This is to try and discover a cause-effect relationship between the IV and the dependent variable.

3. An example of an independent variable:
whether participants in a memory experiment were asked to make a story out of a list of words (to help them memorise the words) or given no instructions on how to memorise the words

4. Dependent Variables
The name given to the variable in experimental research that measures/ observes any change in animal or human behaviours as a result of their exposure to the independent variable.

5. As a consequence we can discover if the change or manipulation of an independent variable has caused, or had an effect on how we think, feel, or behave; this change being measured as the dependent variable

6. The dependent variable for a memory experiment could be:
Example…
The dependent variable for a memory experiment could be:
The number of words recalled

7. Test… You must decide which of the following are IVs or DVs…
Giving ppts either alcohol or juice
Ppts ability to drive safely
Whether ppts memorised words at the bottom of the ocean or on the beach
The number of anagrams solved in 2 minutes
The attention span of a gold fish
The time of day

8. Now you need to have a go…
See IV – DV activities in the Science Pack 