Factorial Designs & Main Effects Study Notes

This set of flashcards includes key vocabulary terms related to factorial designs and main effects, aimed at aiding in the understanding of their definitions and applications.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that researchers manipulate to see if it causes a change in another variable (the dependent variable).

Dependent Variable (DV)

The variable that is measured in a study to determine the effect of the independent variable.

Factorial Design

A study with two or more independent variables (factors).

Main Effect

The impact of one independent variable on the dependent variable, ignoring other IVs.

Interaction Effect

Occurs when the effect of one independent variable depends on the level of another independent variable.

Level

A specific value or category of an independent variable.

Example of Factorial Design Notation

Written as A × B, where A is the number of levels of IV1 and B is the number of levels of IV2.

Two-way Interaction

An interaction between two independent variables.

Three-way Interaction

An interaction that involves three independent variables.

Higher-Order Factorial Design

Designs with three or more independent variables.