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Extraneous Variable - GCSE Psychology Definition

Reviewed by: Raj Bonsor

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An extraneous variable is anything that can affect the results of an experiment but is not the main thing being studied. It is like a sneaky extra factor that can change the outcome (the DV), even though it isn't supposed to.

In a psychology experiment, for example, if researchers are testing how well people remember words, an extraneous variable could be the amount of sleep each person had the night before. If not controlled, these variables can make it harder to know if the main factor being tested is really causing the outcome.

Researchers need to be aware of extraneous variables so that they can keep their experiments fair and results accurate.

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Raj Bonsor

Reviewer: Raj Bonsor

Expertise: Psychology & Sociology Content Creator

Raj joined Save My Exams in 2024 as a Senior Content Creator for Psychology & Sociology. Prior to this, she spent fifteen years in the classroom, teaching hundreds of GCSE and A Level students. She has experience as Subject Leader for Psychology and Sociology, and her favourite topics to teach are research methods (especially inferential statistics!) and attachment. She has also successfully taught a number of Level 3 subjects, including criminology, health & social care, and citizenship.

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