LEC-9 Intervening Variables

Intervening Variables
Intervening variables are hypothetical internal states that

are used to explain relationships between observed
variables, such independent and dependent variables.
Intervening variables are not real things. They are

interpretations of observed facts, not facts themselves.
But they create the illusion of being facts.
EXAMPLES: learning, memory, motivation, attitude,

personality, traits, knowledge, understanding, thinking,
expectation, intelligence, intention.
Intervening Variables Not Real?
Let’s look again at the experiment by Tolman & Honzik

(1930) on latent learning in rats, specifically, the group
that received a reward every time they reached the goal
box.
One of the Independent Variables was the number of
practice trials the rats received. They got 1 trial per day, so
each rat got an increasing number of trials.
The Dependent Variable was the number of wrong turns
(errors) that rats made on a trial.
The following graph shows a relationship between the
independent variable and the dependent variable.
Tolman and Honzik, 1930
Practice Trials Errors

Independent Variable Dependent Variable
Learning
Intervening Variable
10
Theoretically, an internal state of

Average Errors
“learning” intervened between the

8
independent variable and the

dependent variable.
6
4
It was this state that caused errors to

decrease, not the practice trials.
2
0
1 10 17
Trials (1 Trial per Day)
Operational Definitions
Intervening variables are studied by means of operational

definitions, which are descriptions of procedures that are
assumed to have some link to the internal state.
Operational Operational
Definition Definition
Learning
Intervening
Independent Dependent
Variable
Variable Variable
Operational Definitions
Intervening variables have no existence apart from these

observed variables. They are just words, interpretations of
facts, like theories.
Operational Operational
Definition Definition
Learning
Intervening
Independent Dependent
Variable
Variable Variable
Operational Definitions Circular
Reasoning
As explanations of behavior, intervening variables can lead

to an error in logic called “circular reasoning” in which you
explain something in terms of itself and so don’t get beyond
the original facts.
To avoid circular reasoning, you must have two or more

operational definitions of the same internal state, and they
must be correlated.
Here’s an example of circular reasoning that results

from having just one operational definition.
Reasoning
Two rats receive a food

GOAL GOAL
reward when they run from
the Start box to the Goal
box of a straight alley
runway.
They get an equal number
of practice trials and run
equally fast.
One day, the rat on the left
is observed to run much
faster than the rat on the
right.
Reasoning
Why the difference in

GOAL GOAL
running speeds?
You may want to explain it
in terms of “motivation,”
defined as an internal state
that causes an organism to
move toward a goal.
More specifically, you

could say that the fast rat
was “hungrier” than the
slow rat.
Reasoning
This is circular reasoning.

GOAL GOAL
It sounds like an
explanation but it isn’t.
Running speed toward a
food reward is a legitimate
operational definition of
hunger.
It’s OK to infer different
levels of hunger from
running speeds, but it’s
circular to then use hunger
to explain those running
speeds.
Reasoning
Running Speed
defines
explains X
“Hunger”
A second operational definition of hunger is

needed to break this circle.
Reasoning
Running Speed For example, the fast

rat may have been
defines
deprived of food
longer than the slow
rat. Hours of food
deprivation could be
“Hunger” used as an operational
definition of hunger.
defines
Hours of Food Deprivation
Reasoning
Running Speed Different levels of

hunger could be
defines
inferred from the
different periods of
deprivation, and then
these hunger levels
“Hunger” could be used to
explain the different
running speeds without
circularity.
defines
Reasoning
Running Speed The more operational

definitions you have
defines that are correlated
with each other, the
more useful would be
the underlying
intervening variable.
“Hunger”
defines
Reasoning
Questionnaire Responses
define By this standard,
how useful would
you say are the
concepts of attitude,
intelligence and
Correlated? “Attitude” personality trait?
defines
Everyday Behavior

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Intervening Variables

Intervening variables are hypothetical internal states that

Intervening variables are not real things. They are

EXAMPLES: learning, memory, motivation, attitude,

Let’s look again at the experiment by Tolman & Honzik

Practice Trials Errors

Theoretically, an internal state of

“learning” intervened between the

independent variable and the

It was this state that caused errors to

Intervening variables are studied by means of operational

Intervening variables have no existence apart from these

As explanations of behavior, intervening variables can lead

To avoid circular reasoning, you must have two or more

Here’s an example of circular reasoning that results

Two rats receive a food

Why the difference in

More specifically, you

This is circular reasoning.

A second operational definition of hunger is

Running Speed For example, the fast

Running Speed Different levels of

Running Speed The more operational

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