Variables and Data Collection
Read these sections and complete the questions at the end of each section. This section introduces several types of data and their distinguishing features. You will learn about independent and dependent variables and how common data can be coded and collected.
Variables
Discrete and Continuous Variables
Variables such as number of children in a household are called discrete variables since the possible scores are discrete points on the scale. For example, a household could have three children or six children, but not 4.53 children. Other variables such as "time to respond to a question" are continuous variables since the scale is continuous and not made up of discrete steps. The response time could be 1.64 seconds, or it could be 1.64237123922121 seconds. Of course, the practicalities of measurement preclude most measured variables from being truly continuous.