What changes and what is measured?
Separate the experimental condition from the outcome recorded.
The picture in words
- Independent variable
- The condition deliberately varied in an experiment.
- Dependent variable
- The outcome measured.
- Comparison
- Other relevant features are kept comparable.
Reading the illustration
The instruction cards show what is varied. Both paths reach the same later recall task, which supplies the outcome measure.
Try a question
What would be the independent and dependent variables in this study example?
Show the explanation
The study instruction is varied; recall performance is measured. The comparison also depends on consistent material, timing and measurement.
Read the sources
- Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020). Psychology 2e. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/2-3-analyzing-findingsSelected rendered passages: Sampling/assignment, analysis, reliability/validity passages; operational definitions, replication, blinded scoring passages.