Dependent Variable- The variable being studied in the experiment; it is expected to change when the independent variable is changed. Thus, a typical experiment will examine the effects of the independent variable on the dependent variable.
Articular processes: These processes form joints between successive vertebrae. The superior and inferior articular processes arise from the same junctions as the transverse processes (one superior and one inferior process on each side), and each process has an articular surface called a facet.
This is where two vertebrae articulate. There will be one pair of them on the superior side of the vertebrae and one pair on the inferior side of the vertebrae. They are on an oblique plane in the cervical region, nearly a coronal plane in the thoracic region, and in a sagittal plane in the lumbar region.