RESEARCH METHODS FOR ARCHITECTURE

Quantitative and operational methods in Variables and Their Types

architectural design research activity,
It is any feature or aspect of an event, function or
requirement in use analysis process that, by its presence and nature, affects some
MODULE 5 other event or process, which is being studied.

(i) Continuous Variable:

LEARNING OBJECTIVES It is that which can assume any numerical value within a
specific range.
At the end of the course, you as an aspiring Architect (ii) Discrete Variable:
should be able to:
A variable for which the individual values fall on the scale
1. Apply workable research methods and procedures only with distinct gaps is called a discrete variable.
2. Acquire basic research skills
3. Obtain a broader framework upon which the Continuous Variable Discrete Variable
requirements and implications of specific projects
It is a variable whose It is a variable whose
are foreseen
value is obtained by value is obtained by
measuring. counting.
Examples: Examples:
TOPIC OUTLINES Number of stars in the Number of planets
space around the Sun
Methodologies/tools and techniques in research: Height or weight of the Number of students in a
 Variables and Their Types students in a particular class
class
Range of specified Range of specified
numbers is incomplete, numbers is complete.
OVER VIEW i.e. infinite.
It assumes any value It assumes a distinct or a
Variable is a concept which can take on different between two values. separate value.
quantitative values. For example; height, weight, income,
age etc. The main focus of the scientific study is to (iii) Dependent Variable or Criterion variable:
analyze the functional relationship of the variables. A
variable is a quantity which can vary from one individual If one variable depends or is a consequence of other, it
to another. The quantity which can vary from person to is termed as dependent variable. Criterion variable is the
person. basis on which the effectiveness of the experimental
variable is studied.
“Variable is a property that taken on different value”,
Kerlinger (iv) Independent Variable or Experimental Variable:

The variable that is antecedent to the dependent variable

is termed as an independent variable. The variable
whose effect is going to be known is known as
ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE experimental variable.
After Reading this module, try to identify the variables of
your latest assignment number 4. The variables in a study of a cause-and-effect
_____________________________________________ relationship are called the independent and
_____________________________________________ dependent variables.
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________  The independent variable is the cause. Its value
_____________________________________________ is independent of other variables in your study.
_____________________________________________  The dependent variable is the effect. Its
_____________________________________________ value depends on changes in the independent
variable.

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 Examples of Independent and Dependent variables: be used. Intervening variables are hard if not impossible,
to observe because they usually have to do with an
Research Independent Dependent individual’s feelings like boredom, stress, fatigue,
Question variable(s) variable(s) excitement etc. Extraneous variable on the other hand,
Do tomatoes The type of light The rate of are more readily observed or measured and thus are
grow fastest the tomato plant growth of the more easily controlled.
under is grown under tomato plant
fluorescent, An intervening variable is a hypothetical variable
incandescent, used to explain causal links between other variables.
or natural Intervening variables cannot be observed in an
light? experiment (that’s why they are hypothetical).
What is the The type of Your blood
effect of diet soda you drink sugar levels For example, there is an association between being
and regular (diet or regular) poor and having a shorter life span. Just because
soda on blood someone is poor doesn’t mean that will lead to an
sugar levels? early death, so other hypothetical variables are used
How does The amount of Number of to explain the phenomenon. These intervening
phone use phone use hours of sleep variables could include: lack of access to healthcare
before bedtime before bed or poor nutrition.
affect sleep? Quality of
sleep (viii) Extraneous Variable:
How well do The amount of Plant growth
different plant salt added to Independent variables that are not related to the purpose
species the plants’ water of the study, but may affect the dependent variable are
Plant wilting
tolerate salt termed as extraneous variables. Suppose the researcher
water? wants to test the hypothesis that there is a relationship
Plant survival between children’s gain in social studies achievement
rate and their self-concept. Here self-concept is independent
variable and achievement in social study is dependent
variable. Intelligence may as well affect the social
(v) Controlled Variable: studies achievement; but since it is not related to the
purpose of the study undertaken by the researcher, it will
The effectiveness of an experimental variable is be termed as extraneous variable. Whatever effect is
examined by comparing with another variable, known as noticed on dependent variable as a result of extraneous
controlled variable. variable(s) is technically described as an ‘experimental
error.’
Examples of Controlled Variables
A study must always be so designed that the effect upon
Temperature is a common type of controlled variable. the dependent variable is attributed entirely to the
If a temperature is held constant during an independent variables and not to some extraneous
experiment, it is controlled. variable(s). When the dependent variable is not free from
the influence of extraneous variable(s), the relationship
Other examples of controlled variables could be an between the dependent and independent variable is said
amount of light, using the same type of glassware, to be confounded by an extraneous variable(s).
constant humidity, or duration of an experiment.
Extraneous variable can be controlled by removing the
(vi) Confounding Variable: variable causing distraction. It may be eliminated by
selecting cases with uniform characteristics and through
Those aspects of study or sample, that might influence randomization.
the dependent variable (outcome measures), and whose
effect may be confused with the effects of the (ix) Organismic Variable:
independent variable. They are of two types;
Intervening and extraneous variable. There are some variables which cannot be manipulated.
They are accepted by the researcher as they are. They
(vii) Intervening Variable: are levels of intelligence, sex, class levels, and the like.
The researcher can classify the subjects by sex but he
There are a number of abstract variables in cannot modify to suit his research condition. If a
educational/social experiments, which intervene the researcher attempts to compare boys and girls on some
effect of experimental or criterion variable. For controlling learning task, any differences might be attributed to sex
intervening variable appropriate research design should differences but not necessarily so. The differences
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 between boys and girls could be due to differences in
intelligence, training, motivation or a myriad of other
conditions present in all human beings and not
necessarily to biological differences between sex. Those
variables which cannot be manipulated and cannot
themselves point out causal relations are called
organismic variables.

REFERENCES/ SOURCE

https://byjus.com/maths/continuous-
variable/#:~:text=Continuous%20Variable
%20Example&text=For%20example%2C%20take%20an
%20age,77%20picoseconds%E2%80%A6and%20so
%20on.

https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/independent-and-
dependent-variables/

https://www.thoughtco.com/controlled-variable-definition-
609094#:~:text=Examples%20of%20Controlled
%20Variables,or%20duration%20of%20an
%20experiment.

https://www.statisticshowto.com/intervening-variable/

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:
TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
By:
Dr. Prabhat Pandey
Dr. Meenu Mishra Pandey
Bridge Center 2015

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