AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A participant variable is any characteristic or aspect of a participant’s background that could affect study results, even though it’s not the focus of an experiment. Participant variables can include sex, gender identity, age, educational attainment, marital status, religious affiliation, etc.

Detailed explanation-2: -External Variables (aka Extraneous Variables or Confounding Variables) are factors that are not manipulated as part of an experiment, but they may exert some influence on the dependent variable under study.

Detailed explanation-3: -Participant variables: These extraneous variables are related to the individual characteristics of each study participant that may impact how they respond. These factors can include background differences, mood, anxiety, intelligence, awareness, and other characteristics that are unique to each person.

Detailed explanation-4: -Why are participant characteristics not true independent variables? Participant characteristics are not manipulated by the researcher.