Chapter 3 Prep Guide
Question 1
What is the difference between a variable and its levels? Provide an example of at least two
levels of the variable “social media use”? Assume you are conducting a study on social media
use, list a variable that you would want to hold constant.
A variable is something that changes, or a characteristic that can take on certain values, or
levels, in a study. For the variable social media use, some of its levels could include:
LEVEL 1: No social media use
LEVEL 2: Low social media use (2 hours a day)
LEVEL 3: High social media use (5+ hours a day)
In order to minimize any confounds or extraneous variables, one variable that I would want to
hold constant is the age of the patients I am conducting the study upon. It is likely that different
age groups could be impacted by social media use differently, so I would choose one age range
(14-18) and make sure all of my participants fit within it.
Question 2
Explain why some variables can only be measured, not manipulated. Can “social media use” be
a manipulated variable? Can “mood” be a manipulated variable?
A measured variable is a variable that is just observed and recorded, such as height, IQ,
gender, and stress. These are variables that cannot be controlled by a researcher because of the
impossibility of changing them, or due to ethical concerns. A manipulated variable is none
that the researcher can control or alter, often by randomly assigning participants to different
levels of the variable (i.e., the social media use levels I listed in question 1). Therefore, social
media use can be manipulated easily by having the participants use their social media more or
less depending on what level they are assigned to. However, something such as mood cannot be
manipulated. It is unethical to ask participants to exhibit a specific mood, and would not lead to
valid or truthful results.
Question 3
What is the difference between a conceptual variable and the operational definition of a
variable? Provide a conceptual (i.e., dictionary) definition of ‘anxiety.’ Next, operationally
define anxiety (1) for human research participants and (2) for non-human (animal) research
participants.
A conceptual definition of a variable is an abstract definition that cannot be measured. On
the other hand, the operational definition of a variable outlines the specific, quantifiable
details of a variable that the researcher will use in procedures.
This study source was downloaded by 100000901307859 from CourseHero.com on 11-14-2025 04:39:21 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/251703062/Prep-Guide-3-Chloe-Whalenpdf/
Question 1
What is the difference between a variable and its levels? Provide an example of at least two
levels of the variable “social media use”? Assume you are conducting a study on social media
use, list a variable that you would want to hold constant.
A variable is something that changes, or a characteristic that can take on certain values, or
levels, in a study. For the variable social media use, some of its levels could include:
LEVEL 1: No social media use
LEVEL 2: Low social media use (2 hours a day)
LEVEL 3: High social media use (5+ hours a day)
In order to minimize any confounds or extraneous variables, one variable that I would want to
hold constant is the age of the patients I am conducting the study upon. It is likely that different
age groups could be impacted by social media use differently, so I would choose one age range
(14-18) and make sure all of my participants fit within it.
Question 2
Explain why some variables can only be measured, not manipulated. Can “social media use” be
a manipulated variable? Can “mood” be a manipulated variable?
A measured variable is a variable that is just observed and recorded, such as height, IQ,
gender, and stress. These are variables that cannot be controlled by a researcher because of the
impossibility of changing them, or due to ethical concerns. A manipulated variable is none
that the researcher can control or alter, often by randomly assigning participants to different
levels of the variable (i.e., the social media use levels I listed in question 1). Therefore, social
media use can be manipulated easily by having the participants use their social media more or
less depending on what level they are assigned to. However, something such as mood cannot be
manipulated. It is unethical to ask participants to exhibit a specific mood, and would not lead to
valid or truthful results.
Question 3
What is the difference between a conceptual variable and the operational definition of a
variable? Provide a conceptual (i.e., dictionary) definition of ‘anxiety.’ Next, operationally
define anxiety (1) for human research participants and (2) for non-human (animal) research
participants.
A conceptual definition of a variable is an abstract definition that cannot be measured. On
the other hand, the operational definition of a variable outlines the specific, quantifiable
details of a variable that the researcher will use in procedures.
This study source was downloaded by 100000901307859 from CourseHero.com on 11-14-2025 04:39:21 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/251703062/Prep-Guide-3-Chloe-Whalenpdf/
