Flannelly Laura T, Flannelly Kevin J, Jankowski Katherine R B
a Center for Psychosocial Research , Massapequa , New York , USA.
J Health Care Chaplain. 2014;20(4):161-70. doi: 10.1080/08854726.2014.959374.
This article begins by defining the term variable and the terms independent variable and dependent variable, providing examples of each. It then proceeds to describe and discuss synonyms for the terms independent variable and dependent variable, including treatment, intervention, predictor, and risk factor, and synonyms for dependent variable, such as response variables and outcomes. The article explains that the terms extraneous, nuisance, and confounding variables refer to any variable that can interfere with the ability to establish relationships between independent variables and dependent variables, and it describes ways to control for such confounds. It further explains that even though intervening, mediating, and moderating variables explicitly alter the relationship between independent variables and dependent variables, they help to explain the causal relationship between them. In addition, the article links terminology about variables with the concept of levels of measurement in research.
本文首先定义术语变量以及自变量和因变量，并分别给出示例。接着描述和讨论自变量和因变量的同义词，包括处理、干预、预测变量和风险因素，以及因变量的同义词，如反应变量和结果。文章解释了外部变量、干扰变量和混杂变量是指任何会干扰建立自变量和因变量之间关系的变量，并描述了控制此类混杂因素的方法。还进一步解释说，尽管中介变量、调节变量会明确改变自变量和因变量之间的关系，但它们有助于解释两者之间的因果关系。此外，本文将有关变量的术语与研究中的测量层次概念联系起来。
