Final answer:
The dependent variable in the Age of Acquisition cog lab experiment is the reaction time. It is the outcome measure indicating how quickly participants respond, which varies based on manipulated factors such as participant age or word frequency.
Step-by-step explanation:
The dependent variable in the AoA (Age of Acquisition) cog lab experiment is b) Reaction time. In psychological experiments, the dependent variable is what is being measured or tested. In the context of the AoA experiment, researchers are looking at how quickly participants respond to stimuli, which in this case would be the reaction time. It is expected to change or vary as a function of the independent variable, which could be any factor manipulated by the experimenters such as the age of the participant, word frequency, or task difficulty.
For example, in question 55 part a, the dependent variable would be the number of motor vehicle fatalities, which is expected to change with the independent variable, the age of drivers. In the study of the ten-year-old boys, the dependent variable is the weight gained, not the doughnuts, the boys, nor the duration of the week, but the outcome of eating the doughnuts.