Controlling extraneous variables
Controlling extraneous variables
2-Extraneous variables are variables that the researcher sometimes can control and sometimes cannot control that have little to do with the study at hand, but have the potential to have a significant effect upon the study. The extraneous variables sometimes have little effect on a study, or sometimes have the potential to completely throw off a study depending upon their influence on the nature of the study (Street, 1995). A participant’s age or gender could greatly impact the results of a study, in unexpected ways. Controlling for this could mean working with a specific age group of people, or engaging in an all male or all female study so that the extraneous variables do not affect the results of the research. Ultimately researchers need to make correlations between the variables and be certain that the extraneous variables are not impacting the research in a manner that is going to throw off the results significantly (Skelly et al., 2012).
References
Skelly, A., Dettori, J., & Brodt, E. (2012). Assessing bias: the importance of considering confounding. Evidence-Based Spine-Care Journal, 3(01), 9-12. doi:10.1055/s-0031-1298595
Street, D. L. (1995). Controlling extraneous variables in experimental research: a research note. Accounting Education, 4(2), 169-188. doi:10.1080/09639289500000020
3-Extraneous variables are variables that are not being evaluated in a research study, but are simultaneously going to affect that research study. The variables could be something that the researcher knows about, or they could be subtle correlations that the researcher cannot find without examining the information about the participants in the study in greater detail. The variables could be a significant factor in the outcome of the research if they are not properly accounted for (Street, 1995). Limiting the effects of extraneous variables involves first identifying what those variables are. Some of the variables cannot be helped. Others can be controlled for by careful consideration and control mechanisms implemented within the study. This can be done by examining correlations and discovering the correlations that appear to be significant within the context of the study (Skelly et al., 2012). Overall, extraneous variables are an inevitability that a researcher will encounter, but they can be controlled for if the study is evaluated properly.
References
