Design: The Independent Variable

In this section you should enter details about the independent variable you used in your study. The text you enter will be used for suggested titles, and will also be automatically inserted into the abstract and results sections of the draft report. If you have more than one IV then you should hit the button 'Define more than one IV'.

Data to Enter

Name
Enter a brief name for the independent variable. This text will be used in the results section and in suggested titles. The name could give an indication of the psychological construct involved.

Examples:
rehearsal
item categorisation
word frequency
sex

Brief description
Enter a few words that describe the independent variable. This text will be used in the results section.

Examples:
the amount of item rehearsal allowed
whether items are categorised or not
the frequency of the words presented
the sex of the participant

Detailed description
Enter a lengthier, though still brief, description of the independent variable. This text will be used in the results section and in suggested titles.

Examples:
whether participants were allowed to rehearse the items or whether rehearsal was prevented
items were either categorised semantically or structurally
whether the words were of high, medium, or low frequency

Is it an independent (between-subjects) or repeated measures (within-subjects) variable?
An independent measures design is one where there are two (or more) different groups of participants. A repeated measures design is one where there is one group of participants but they are tested under two or more experimental conditions.

How many levels does it have?
The term 'levels' refers to either the number of groups (independent measures design) or the number of conditions (repeated measures design) for this particular variable in the experiment.

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