Final answer:
Participant variables in a study are also known as subject variables or personal attributes. They are the individual characteristics that can affect the outcome of an experiment, and researchers strive to control for them to ensure that the results of the study are reliable and valid.
Step-by-step explanation:
Participant variables are also referred to as subject variables or personal attributes. These terms describe characteristics of the individuals participating in a study that may influence the outcome. For instance, in a study examining the effects of tableware size on food consumption, subject variables might include the age, gender, or eating habits of the college students participating in the experiment. It is important to account for potential participant variables when designing a study to ensure that results are not unduly influenced by these individual differences.
When selecting participants, researchers must consider their representativeness of the population they wish to generalize to, as well as any ethical considerations. In the example study where the explanatory variable is the size of the tableware, treatments involve the use of normal-sized tableware versus tableware that is 20 percent smaller. The response variable in this setting would be the amount of food eaten.
It is crucial in experimental design to recognize and attempt to control for lurking variables, which could otherwise interfere with the clarity of the results. In the study mentioned, a lurking variable might be each student's hunger level prior to the experiment. To address issues like participant expectations, blinding can be used, where participants are unaware of whether they are in the control or treatment group, mitigating potential placebo effects and biases.