According to Barry the dependent variable is the response measure of an experiment.
Response, ang dependent variable, and this response is then measured.
From the word itself, dependent, this variable is a response to the researcher's
manipulation. This response is then observed and recorded.
For example, ang Mimosa pudica or ang makahiya which closes only when it is
touched. It is dependent if someone touches it.
Another would be a balloon.
There are 2 types of balloons.
One that floats and one that doesn't. It depends if you inflate it with a normal air or
helium.
As you can see the makahiya and the type of air you inflate into the balloon are all
dependent variables.
But what is a good dependent variable?
That would be stability. Stability is when the experiment is repeated again and again, it
yields the same results. In other words it is consistent and reliable.
Instability can occur because of the deficit in the way we measure some dependent
variables. When we say deficit, it means that it is because of the short comings.
For example,
Experiment: Testing the effect of a new fertilizer on plant growth.
Dependent Variable: Height of the plants (measured in centimeters).
Scenario:
The plants are grown under controlled conditions, with the same amount of water,
sunlight, and soil type.
The fertilizer is applied to half of the plants, while the other half serves as a control
group.
The height of the plants is measured weekly.
Issue:
- The height measurements of the plants in both groups show significant fluctuations
from week to week, even within the same group.
- Some plants grow rapidly one week and then show little to no growth the next week.
- The variability in growth rates is not consistent with the expected patterns, making it
difficult to determine if the fertilizer has a significant effect.
As we can see there is the instability of our variable. But if we can identify the instability,
we can have solutions.
Solution:
To stabilize the dependent variable, the experimenter could:
- Control environmental factors more strictly.
- Standardize measurement procedures.
- Increase the sample size to average out biological variability.
Another would be the null results, caused by inadequacies in the dependent variable
even if it is stable. Such would be due to the range of the dependent variable.
This is also called the floor effect and ceiling effect.
The floor effect is when the participants of the study with nearly most of them having 0
to low scores, indicating that the tests are too difficult.
Whereas the ceiling effect, is when the participants score too high on a test, this occurs
when the tests are too easy.
Activity
Find the DV
1. Ivan Pavlov studied how dogs associated a neutral stimulus (a bell) with food. Over
time, the dogs began to salivate at the sound of the bell alone, even without food.
Answer: salivation of dogs
2. Elizabeth Loftus and John Palmer showed participants a video of a car accident and
asked them to estimate the speed of the cars. The wording of the question (e.g.,
"smashed" vs. "contacted") influenced participants' speed estimates and their later
recall of the event
Answer: the speed estimates
3. Albert Bandura exposed children to an adult model behaving aggressively toward a
Bobo doll. Later, the children were observed interacting with the doll, and many imitated
the aggressive behavior they had witnessed.
Answer: behavior of the children