Variables which cannot be controlled

Since it remains constant, i. Researchers and scientists often mould control variable data along with independent and dependent variable data in regression analysis and analysis of covariance. There are multiple ways of controlling variables. They may be controlled directly or indirectly. To control variables directly, all you need to do is hold them constant throughout a research or experiment for instance, keeping the temperature constant.

To control them indirectly, you can use methods like statistical control. Control variables are the variables or elements that researchers strive to keep constant throughout their research so that they would not influence the outcomes.

In a typical research design, the effect of an independent variable on a dependent variable is measured. For this to happen properly, it is crucial to control other extraneous or standardized variable.

In experiments, a researcher or a scientist aims to understand the effect that an independent variable has on a dependent variable.

Control variables help ensure that the experiment results are fair, unskewed, and not caused by your experimental manipulation. In such research studies, control variables help infer relationships between the main variables of interest. By now, you must have understood how important it is to control variables that can impact the results of a research or experiment, in addition to the independent and dependent variables. You would never be sure of whether your results are an effect of your independent variable or not.

Controlling variables is important because even the slightest of variations in the research study could influence the results.. Another advantage of control variables is that they make it easier and more convenient to reproduce a research study and establish the relationship between the independent and dependent variables. For instance, say you are trying to determine whether a particular soil quality has an effect on plant growth.

The independent variable is the soil quality, while the dependent variable is the rate of growth of the plant. Do people with a fear of water perceive water images faster than other people? There are several ways to control extraneous variables in experimental designs, quasi-experimental designs, observational designs, and research studies. Extraneous variables are all variables, which are not the independent variable, but could affect the results of the experiment.

The researcher wants to make sure that it is the manipulation of the independent variable that has an effect on the dependent variable.

Hence, all the other variables that could affect the dependent variable to change must be controlled. These other variables are called extraneous or confounding variables. Extraneous variables should be controlled were possible, as they might be important enough to provide alternative explanations for the effects.

Situational variables should be controlled so they are the same for all participants. Standardized procedures are used to ensure that conditions are the same for all participants. This includes the use of standardized instructions. This refers to the ways in which each participant varies from the other, and how this could affect the results e.

For example, if a participant that has performed a memory test was tired, dyslexic or had poor eyesight, this could effect their performance and the results of the experiment. The experimental design chosen can have an affect on participant variables. Situational variables also include order effects that can be controlled using counterbalancing, such as giving half the participants condition 'A' first, while the other half get condition 'B' first.

This prevents improvement due to practice, or poorer performance due to boredom. Control variables are the variables i. In a typical research design, a researcher measures the effect an independent variable has on a dependent variable.

To properly measure the relationship between a dependent variable and an independent variable, other variables, known as extraneous or confounding variables, must be controlled i. Although control variables are not the central interest of a researcher, they are paramount to properly understand the relationship between independent and dependent variables. If extraneous variables are not controlled in a research project, they can skew the results of a study.

If used properly, control variables can help the researcher accurately test the value of an independent variable on