CHAPTER 8
Solving Problems:
Controlling Extraneous
Variables
Extraneous Variables that can threaten an
experiment’s internal validity:
Physical Variables
Social Variables
Personality Variables
Contexts Variables
PHYSICAL VARIABLE
Are aspects of the testing conditions that needs
to be controlled.
Such as..
• Day of the week
• Testing room
• The noise
All distractions are called physical variables.
PHYSICAL VARIABLE
3 General techniques for
controlling physical
variables.
PHYSICAL VARIABLE
Elimination
- Removing distractions from the
experimental situation.
PHYSICAL VARIABLE
Constancy of conditions
-Keeping all aspect of treatment conditions as
nearly similar as possible.
if we cannot eliminate an extraneous variable, we
try to make sure that its stays the same in all
treatment conditions.
PHYSICAL VARIABLE
Balancing
- Technique used to control the impact
of extraneous variables by distributing
their effects equally across treatment
conditions.
SOCIAL VARIABLES
The qualities of the relationships between
subjects and experimenters that can
influence the result of an experiment.
2 PRINCIPAL OF SOCIAL VARIABLE
Demand Characteristics
Experimenter bias
*Both can be controlled through single and
double-blinded experiments.
SOCIAL VARIABLES
Demand Characteristics
-Aspects of the experimental situation
itself that demand particular
behaviors.
- Serves as cue within the experimental
situation.
SOCIAL VARIABLES
What we do is often shaped by what
we think is expected behavior in a
particular situation.
WHAT CONTROLS DEMAND
CHARACTERISTICS?
Single-Blind experiment- An experiment
which subjects are not told which of the
treatment conditions they are in.
-When we do single-blind experiment,
we can disclose some but not all
information about the experiments to
subjects. We can disclose what is going
to happen to them in the experiment.
- In this experiment we can keep them fully
informed about the purpose of the study
but we should keep them “BLIND” to one
thing, and that is the Treatment condition
they are in.
- This experiment is very common in experiments
with drugs – if we give a subjects a substance,
the subject might react based on what he or she
expects the drug to do.
• Use to control Experimental Bias.
Double-Blind experiment- An
experiment in which neither the subjects
nor the experimenter know which
treatment the subjects are in.
Used to control Experimental bias and
Demand Characteristics.
EXPERIMENTER BIAS
Any behavior of the experimenter that
create confounding in an experiment.
Without realizing it an experimenter
can give subjects cues that tell them
how he or she would like them to
respond.
PLACEBO EFFECT
The treatment elicits a change in
subjects’ behavior simply because
subjects expects an effect to occur.
COVER STORY
A false plausible explanation of the
procedures in an experiment told to
disguise the actual research hypothesis so
that subjects will not guess what it is.
ROSENTHAL EFFECT
By: Robert Rosenthal
The phenomenon of the experimenters treating
subjects differently depending on what they
expect from the subjects
This is also called the Pygmalion effect and
Self-fulfilling prophecy.
PERSONALITY VARIABLES
Thepersonal characteristics
that an experimenter or
volunteer subject brings to the
experimental setting.
HOW DOES THE EXPERIMENTER’S PERSONALITY
AFFECTS THE EXPERIMENTAL RESULT ?
Likeable interviewer will collect better
data, more usable responses and fewer “ I
Don’t knows” from respondents.
While..
Aggressive or Authoritarian
(Demanding Obedience) would get less
than optimal performance from research
subjects.
HOW CAN WE CONTROL PERSONALITY
VARIABLES?
We can videotape or record sessions to achieve
consistent performance.
It is IMPORTANT to maintain consistency in
your interactions to your subject.
Have an multiple experimenter to do the same
experiment to an equal number of subjects in
each experimental condition.
Stick to the script.
CONTEXT VARIABLES
Extraneousvariable stemming from
procedures created by the
environment, or context, of the
research setting.
WHEN THE SUBJECTS SELECT THE
EXPERIMENT.
At research universities, psychology
students are typically required either to
participate in a certain number of
experiments to fulfill a substitute
requirement.
Some subjects can sign up for a session on
the spot.
Some can often look over on what is
available. Select one that seems
interesting.
WHEN THE EXPERIMENTER SELECTS THE
SUBJECT.
You may be required to recruit you own
subjects from inside or outside your
university community.
If you do not select your subjects
randomly, your subject will be biased.
It is ALWAYS best to use people you
DON’T know because the behavior of your
friends in your experiment will differ from
more typical subjects
