If you were to design a research study at your work can you give examples of dependent and independent variables along with any extraneous variable
What work?
Research can be done on practically anything.
What research might you do at work? If you clarify your question, we'll try to help you.
In the Hospital
Certainly! Let's say that I am working in a psychology research lab and I want to study the effects of different types of music on concentration. In this case, the dependent variable would be the concentration level, which is the outcome we are interested in measuring. The independent variable would be the different types of music, as this is the variable that we manipulate or control to see its impact on the dependent variable.
Here's an example of how you can design the study:
1. Participants: Select a sample of individuals who are willing to participate in the study.
2. Manipulation of Independent Variable: Randomly assign participants to different groups, where each group listens to a different type of music (e.g., classical, pop, silence).
3. Measurement of Dependent Variable: Measure participants' concentration level while they complete a task that requires sustained attention, such as solving puzzles or reading a passage.
4. Control Variables: Keep extraneous variables constant to minimize their impact on the results. For example, ensure that participants have similar cognitive abilities, use the same task, control for the time of day, and maintain a consistent environment for all participants.
5. Data Collection: Measure the concentration level in each group and record the data.
6. Analysis: Analyze the data using appropriate statistical techniques to determine if there are any significant differences in concentration levels between the music groups.
In this example, the dependent variable is the concentration level, and the independent variable is the type of music. An extraneous variable could be the participants' prior music preferences, as this might influence their concentration levels. To control for this, you could randomly assign participants to the different music groups to ensure that any differences in concentration are more likely to be due to the music.
Remember, when designing a research study, it's important to clearly define your variables, control for extraneous variables, and carefully collect and analyze the data to draw valid conclusions.