What term refers to variables consisting of numbers that represent the conceptual variables?

• A. Measured variables
• B. Categorical variables
• C. Cross-sectional design
• D. Confounding variable

Answer: (A)

Measured variables are numerical representations of conceptual constructs. When researchers quantify a concept like mood, anxiety, or cognitive ability, they obtain a numeric score or value through measurement. Those numbers reflect the magnitude of the construct and allow statistical analysis such as averages, correlations, or regression. This distinguishes them from categorical variables, which classify into distinct groups (even if those groups are labeled with numbers), or from study designs and nuisance variables like confounds. For example, a mood scale score or a test IQ score are measured variables because they are numbers that quantify the underlying concept.