Experimental Design Concepts ILS

Front

Independent Variable

Back

The factor that gets changed.

Example: amount of water given a plant to measure growth

Front

Dependent Variable

Back

The factor that is measured or observed

and changes based on the

independent variable

Example: the plant's height was dependent on the amount of water it was given

Front

Control Group

Back

Group not exposed to the treatment,

used for comparison

Example: Group given no change in amount of water

Front

Experimental Group

Back

Group exposed to or given the independent variable.

Example: Students who used the new study technique

Front

Hypothesis

Back

Testable prediction

Example: increased sunlight will make plants grow taller

Front

Replication

Back

Repeating an experiment many times to be sure the results are reliable.

Example: testing a new drug on hundreds of different patients

Front

Constant

Back

Things that are kept the same for all experimental groups.

Example: Types of soil and the size of the pot were the same for all plants

Front

Qualitative Data

Back

Not numerical

Example: the color of the leaves

Front

Quantitative Data

Back

Numerical measures or counts.

Example: what is the exact temperature, or how tall is the plant

Front

Bias

Back

Tendency to favor a certain outcome, skewing the results.

Example: previous experiences or beliefs