3.1.4.2.1 Independent, dependent and extraneous variables Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 4

The 20 questions

1. What is the independent variable in an experiment?

   • The variable the researcher deliberately changes or manipulates
   • The variable that is kept the same for every participant in the study
   • The variable that affects the results by accident during the study
   • The variable the researcher measures as the outcome of the study

2. What is the dependent variable in an experiment?

   • The variable the researcher measures to see whether it changes
   • The variable that is controlled so that it stays the same throughout
   • The variable the researcher deliberately manipulates in the study
   • The variable that is decided by the participants themselves during testing

3. In a study on whether caffeine affects reaction time, what is the independent variable?

   • The reaction time measured in milliseconds
   • The age of the participants
   • The amount of caffeine given to participants
   • The room temperature during the test

4. In the same caffeine study, what is the dependent variable?

   • The time of day when the test is taken
   • The number of participants in each group
   • The reaction time measured in milliseconds
   • The amount of caffeine given to participants

5. Which is an extraneous variable?

   • The memory test score that is recorded for each participant at the end of the session
   • Noise in the room that distracts some participants during a memory test
   • The number of words that participants must recall from the list they were shown at the start
   • The condition that participants are assigned to by the researcher at the start of the study

6. Why is controlling extraneous variables important?

   • So that the study can use fewer participants and the researcher can save time and money
   • So that the dependent variable can be left unmeasured until the very end of the study
   • So that any change in the dependent variable can be attributed to the independent variable
   • So that participants can be told in advance exactly what results they should expect to see

7. A researcher keeps the room temperature the same for all participants in a memory test. What is this an example of?

   • Manipulating the independent variable
   • Controlling an extraneous variable
   • Measuring the dependent variable
   • Creating a null hypothesis

8. Which description best matches an independent variable?

   • The factor that is used to select the sample
   • The factor that is unintentionally varied during testing
   • The factor that is measured in each condition
   • The factor that is changed between conditions

9. In a study on whether music affects recall, participants hear either music or silence. What is the independent variable?

   • The room in which the test takes place
   • The age of the participants in each condition
   • Whether participants hear music or silence
   • The number of words recalled by each participant

10. Which factor would be an extraneous variable in a study on study methods and test scores?

    • Some participants having a headache on the test day
    • The group that each participant is placed in by the researcher at the start of the study
    • The study method that each group uses to revise for the test in the weeks before it
    • The test score that each participant obtains on the day of the memory test in the lab

11. Which situation shows an extraneous variable affecting a study's results?

    • Participants are randomly assigned to the two groups by drawing names from a hat
    • The researcher records the test scores accurately and checks each score twice afterwards
    • One group takes its test in a noisy hall while the other takes it in a quiet room
    • Both groups take the same test in the same quiet room at the same time of day

12. Which variable is measured, not manipulated?

    • The dependent variable
    • The controlled variable
    • The experimental condition
    • The independent variable

13. A researcher uses the same test for every participant to keep the difficulty constant. What is this controlling?

    • The null hypothesis
    • An extraneous variable
    • The independent variable
    • The dependent variable's effect on the sample

14. Which statement about extraneous variables is most accurate?

    • They are always the main focus of the study
    • They can affect the results if they are not controlled
    • They can be ignored because they never affect results
    • They are the same thing as the dependent variable

15. A study compares two teaching methods but the teachers differ in experience. What is the teacher experience in this study?

    • An extraneous variable that could affect the results
    • The independent variable being tested, which is the teaching method each teacher uses
    • The null hypothesis being tested, which predicts that the two methods make no difference
    • The dependent variable being measured, which is the test score for each pupil

16. Which of these is the best operationalised dependent variable?

    • The number of correct answers on a 20-question test
    • How clever the participants feel about the task overall
    • How nice the room looks to the participants during testing
    • How much participants seem to enjoy the study overall

17. Which example correctly pairs a variable with its type?

    • Exam score is an independent variable because it is chosen by the researcher
    • Hours of sleep set by the researcher is an independent variable
    • Room noise measured as an outcome is the dependent variable
    • Participant age is an independent variable in all experiments

18. Why might a researcher want to control the time of day when participants are tested?

    • Time of day is the dependent variable in every single study
    • Time of day has no effect on any participant's performance at all
    • Time of day could be an extraneous variable that affects performance
    • Time of day is the independent variable in every single study

19. A study changes the colour of a poster to see whether it affects attention. What is the colour of the poster?

    • An extraneous variable
    • The dependent variable
    • The null hypothesis
    • The independent variable

20. Which statement best summarises how the three types of variable relate in an experiment?

    • The dependent variable is changed, the independent variable is measured, and extraneous variables are the results
    • The independent variable is measured, the dependent variable is changed, and extraneous variables are ignored
    • The independent variable is changed, the dependent variable is measured, and extraneous variables are controlled
    • All three types are changed by the researcher and then measured

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