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control

n.

1. authority, power, or influence over events, behaviors, situations, or people. Researchers have hypothesized a need for control, and they also distinguish between primary control and secondary control.

2. the regulation of all extraneous conditions and variables in an experiment so that any change in the dependent variable can be attributed solely to manipulation of the independent variable and not to any other factors.

3. see statistical control.

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Psychology term of the day

December 26th 2024

anticholinergic effects

anticholinergic effects

side effects that are characteristic of anticholinergic drugs and are also associated with other agents (e.g., tricyclic antidepressants, monoamine oxidase inhibitors) that exert antagonist effects at muscarinic receptors. They include dry mouth, blurred vision, urinary hesitancy or retention, and constipation. Similar antagonistic effects may occur at nicotinic receptors as well. Depending on the specific receptors involved, these effects may also be called antimuscarinic effects or antinicotinic effects.