Example of Single-Variable Research: First Impressions

Which type of research design is required when a study is focused entirely on observing and describing a single variable without attempting to manipulate it?

A psychologist who wants to measure and describe the average number of hours per week that first-year university students spend on social media is studying a single variable. Because no relationship between two variables is being examined, a non-experimental research design is the appropriate choice for this study.

A researcher simplifies a study from 'comparing test scores between different majors' to only 'reporting the mean test score of all participants ($M = 82$).' The study is now classified as single-variable research because it focuses on the measurement of a ______ rather than an analysis of a statistical relationship.

A researcher proposes a study to calculate the 'mean score on a memory test' ($M$) for a group of adults and labels it an experiment. Arrange the steps you would take to evaluate this proposal and justify its classification as single-variable research.

Single-variable research is characterized by the measurement of one variable in isolation rather than the analysis of a statistical relationship between two or more variables.

Which of the following research goals best illustrates the primary indication for using a single-variable research design?

Match each research scenario to the type of research it represents based on the researcher's primary goal.

Match each psychology research scenario to the appropriate research design it exemplifies.

A researcher wants to study how accurate people's first impressions are. Because the study's research question is focused entirely on measuring a single characteristic without analyzing relationships or manipulating variables, the researcher must use a _____ design.

A student proposes a study to measure public speaking anxiety in a sample of college students. To determine whether this proposed study should be classified as single-variable research, order the steps you would take to evaluate the proposal, starting with the initial identification of the focus.