Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer
What is a variable in social research? What are their different types? Elaborate.
- UPSC 2025
- Research Methods and Analysis
A variable is any characteristic, attribute, or property that takes on two or more values across the units of study — age, income, caste status, religious affiliation, or attitude are all variables because individual cases differ in how much of the characteristic they possess.
You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of Sociology Optional PYQ Solutions.
What the full answer covers
- The Core Logic: Variance as the Basis of Explanation
- Types by Causal Role
- Types by Measurement Properties
- Durkheim's Suicide: The Model Illustration
- The Elaboration Paradigm: How Variables Interact Analytically
- A Current Extension: Variables in Digital Trace Data
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