VARIABLES
YAP, JON DERRICK C.
M.A. MARKETING
COMMUNICATION
THE CONCEPT OF
VARIABLES IN RESEARCH
VARIABLES
Names that are assigned or given to a person, place, thing, or
phenomenon that is being measured in some way
In addition to being something to be measured, variables are also what
can be manipulated or controlled by the researcher in experimental
research.
Something that varies or changes in value according to situations or how
they are treated (Nwankwo and Emunemu, 2014).
ROLE IN RESEARCH
Focus of the research / study
How variables are used or handled dictates the nature and direction of
the research
Most educational researches are concerned with establishing
interrelationships among variables
VARIABLES ARE ‘PROPERTIES’
Properties are the characteristics or attributes of an object, that is, they
describe some characteristics of an object in terms of size, color, height,
weight and so on.
Variables assume different values that are taken from a prescribed set of
values (domains) in different circumstances, which are usually defined by
the researcher (Bandele, 2004)
Domains for measuring the “Relationship Status” variable can be simplified as ‘Single’ &
‘Married’, or can be further broken down to additional sub-values or attributes to include
‘Separated’, ‘Widowed’, etc.
‘Roman Catholic’ is an attribute of the ‘Religion’ variable.
VARIABLES SHOULD ALWAYS EXHIBIT TWO TRAITS
Exhaustiveness – a variable should include all "possible answerable responses"
The attributes ‘Bachelor’s Degree’, ‘Masters’, and ‘Ph.D’ in relation to the ‘Highest Educational Attainment’
variable excludes possibility of respondents who were only able to finish high school.
Mutual Exclusivity - pertains to the feature that disallows respondents from being
able to have two attributes simultaneously
A variable such as ‘Country Visited Most Recently’ can have attributes such as ‘Thailand’, ‘Canada’, ‘Korea’,
‘Malaysia’, etc., but two or more attributes cannot be true at the same time.
TYPES OF VARIABLES
VARIABLES
CATEGORICAL CONTINUOUS DEPENDENT INDEPENDENT LATENT
NOMINAL MANIFEST
INTERNAL
ORDINAL
RATIO
MODERATING INTERVENING EXTRANEOUS
DICHOTONOUS
POLYCHOTOMOUS
CATEGORICAL VS CONTINUOUS
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
Also known as discrete, classificatory or
qualitative variables
Categorical variables have a limited
number of distinct values and can be
classified into limited categories.
Attributes vary in kind rather than in
degree, amount or level
Examples: Sex, Blood type, Color
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
NOMINAL VS ORDINAL
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
NOMINAL VARIABLES
Two or more categories that are not in an intrinsic order, and no category can be
greater or less than the other.
Shows characteristics rather than measurement.
Examples: Colleges in UST, Network Operators
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
ORDINAL VARIABLES
Two or more categories that can be ranked
or arranged in order
One category can be said to be greater or
less than another
Examples: Satisfaction Ratings, Socio-economic
Status
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
DICHOTOMOUS VS POLYCHOTOMOUS
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
DICHOTOMOUS VARIABLES
Variables that only have two
categories or levels
May have similar features as nominal
variables in the sense that they can
also not have intrinsic orders
Examples: ‘Yes-or-No’ questions
CATEGORICAL VARIABLES
POLYCHOTOMOUS VARIABLES
Variables that have more than two categories of subsets
CONTINUOUS VARIABLES
Vary on the basis of magnitude along an
ordered continuum
Have an infinite number of values between
any two values
Can be measured by scales such that the
groupings differ from each other on the basis
of quantity, degree, level or amount
Examples:Time, Speed, Distance
CONTINUOUS VARIABLES
INTERVAL VS RATIO
CONTINUOUS VARIABLES
INTERVAL VARIABLES
Has numerical value and can be measured
along a continuum in a scale
Can be a negative value (but not always)
Examples:Temperature (°C and °F), Date,
Time Intervals in a 12-hour Clock
CONTINUOUS VARIABLES
RATIO VARIABLES
Have features of magnitude and order,
but also have a zero point that shows an
absence of the characteristic
A ratio variable is first and
foremost an interval variable but
not all interval variables are ratio
variables.
Examples: Age, Distance,Time
TYPES OF VARIABLE EXAMPLES
Year Established: __500 B.C.__ CONTINUOUS INTERVAL
Preferred short color? O Red O Blue O Green O Yellow CATEGORICAL NOMINAL POLYCHOTOMOUS
Do you smoke? O Yes O No CATEGORICAL DICHOTOMOUS
Glasses of water consumed: __2 glasses __ CONTINUOUS RATIO
Level of Interest Not Interesting at all O O O O O O Very Interesting
CATEGORICAL ORDINAL POLYCHOTOMOUS
DEPENDENT VS INDEPENDENT
DEPENDENT VARIABLES
Also known as the criterion or outcome variable
Represents the presumed effect or consequence that would
occur once the independent variable has been manipulated
Example:
A study on how the length of sleep a student gets affects exam scores.
LENGTH OF SLEEP EXAM SCORES
INDEPENDENT VARIABLES
A stimulus that influences a response, an antecedent
or a factor which may be modified (e.g. under
experimental or other conditions) to affect an
outcome
Example:
A study on how the length of sleep a student gets affects exam scores.
LENGTH OF SLEEP EXAM SCORES
DIRECTION OF CAUSALITY
No variables are automatically designated as dependent or independent.
It is important to specify which variable occurs or comes before the other in order
to ascertain which one(s) are the dependent and independent variables.
Quality of managerial leadership and team performance in advertising agencies in Makati
QUALITY OF
TEAM
MANAGERIAL
PERFORMANCE
LEADERSHIP
DIRECTION OF CAUSALITY
However, other studies studying relationships between two variables can also lead to
bidirectional causality.
A study on studying habits and academic performance of students in UST
STUDYING ACADEMIC
HABITS PERFORMANCE
OTHER VARIABLES THAT COULD AFFECT THE DEPENDENT-INDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP
MODERATING VARIABLES
Variables that have a conditional
influence which is strong enough to
affect and/or modify the original INTERNET
CONNECTIVITY
relationship between the dependent
and independent variable.
IRREGULAR
Irregular working schedules and productivity of WORKING
EMPLOYEE
employees working from home SCHEDULES
PRODUCTIVITY
Moderating variable:
Strength of internet connectivity
OTHER VARIABLES THAT COULD AFFECT THE DEPENDENT-INDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP
INTERVENING VARIABLES
Variables that act as a link between the
dependent and independent variable, explaining
and accounting for the causal relationship
between them MANAGERIAL
LEADERSHIP
TEAM
PERFORMANCE
Functions as a dependent variable to the
independent variable, and at the same time as an
independent variable to the dependent variable
Quality of managerial leadership and team
TRUST TOWARDS
performance in advertising agencies in Makati MANAGERS
Moderating variable: Teams’ trust towards managers
OTHER VARIABLES THAT COULD AFFECT THE DEPENDENT-INDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
Any other variables that are not the
independent variable, yet could still affect the
FAMILIARY WITH
results of an experiment VEHICLE
Extraneous variables should be
controlled were possible, as they might
be important enough to provide
alternative explanations for the effects. ALCOHOL
DRIVING ABILITY
CONSUMPTION
Influence of alcohol consumption on driving ability
Extraneous variables: Familiarity with vehicle or road,
Food consumed while drinking, etc.
OTHER VARIABLES THAT COULD AFFECT THE DEPENDENT-INDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIP
EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
Four types of Extraneous Variables (McLeod, 2019):
Situational Variables (Aspects of environment that might affect participants’ behavior)
Participant / Person Variable (Ways in which participants differ from one another)
Experimenter / Investigator Effects (The experimenter unconsciously conveys to
participants how they should behave, affecting participants’ behavior)
Demand Characteristics (Clues in an experiment which convey to the participant the
purpose of the research)
LATENT VS MANIFEST
LATENT VARIABLES
Intangible theoretical constructs that cannot be observed or measured directly
Usually need to have multiple indicators (manifest / observed variables) that are
intended to measure them
Example: A study on how one’s speaking ability influences audience engagement
AUDIENCE
SPEAKING ABILITY
ENGAGEMENT
MANIFEST / OBSERVED VARIABLES
Can be measured directly as a means to measure a latent variable
Example: A study on how one’s speaking ability influences audience engagement
AMOUNT OF AUDIENCE NUMBER OF ONLINE
EYE CONTACT PACING SATISFACTION INTERACTIONS MENTIONS
MOVEMENT
AUDIENCE
SPEAKING ABILITY
ENGAGEMENT
VARIABLES
YAP, JON DERRICK C.
M.A. MARKETING
COMMUNICATION
REFERENCES
Abiodun-Oyebanji, O. (2017). Research Variables: Types, Uses and Definition of Terms. Research in Education
Bandele, S. (2004). Educational Researching Perspectives. Ibadan: Niyi Communication and Printing Ventures
Escobar, M. (n.d.). Structural Equation Modeling: What is a Latent Variable?. The Analysis Factor.
https://www.theanalysisfactor.com/what-is-a-latent-variable/
Kaur, S. (2013).Variables in Research. IJRRMS, 3(4), 36-38. Retrieved from http://www.ijrrms.com/pdf/2013/jul-
sep2013/IJRRMS%20Vol.3%20(4)_10.pdf
Kenton, W. (2021). Manifest Variable. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/manifest-variable.asp
McLeod, S. (2019). Extraneous variable. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/extraneous-
variable.html
Nwankwo, J. & Emunemu, B. (2014). Handbook on Research in Education and the Social Sciences. Ibadan: Giraffe
Books.
