IV, DV and Operationalisation

• IV stands for Independent Variable
• DV stands for Dependent Variable
• IV - cause

  • The variable that is manipulated (by the researcher) to see if it has an effect on the DV (1)
  • Usually has 2 conditions, e.g. 'x' or 'y'
• DV - effect

  • The variable that the researcher measures to see the effect of the IV (1)
  • Usually a score or measurement, e.g. score out of 20 on a class test
• The IV has an effect on the DV
• The DV is effected by the IV
• Operationalisation - To be specific and clear when defining the independent variable and dependent variable in an experiment, to make it easier to measure
• Operationalisation is important because if variables are vague then it would not be possible to repeat the research to check for consistent results

  • Increases replicability/reliability as other researchers can repeat the research in the same way to check for consistent results