key term - Control group

Definition

A control group is a baseline group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment or intervention being tested. It is used to compare and assess the effect of the treatment on other groups.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The control group helps establish causality by providing a comparison against the experimental group receiving the treatment.
2. It should be similar in key characteristics to the experimental group to ensure valid comparisons.
3. The presence of a control group reduces confounding variables, enhancing the reliability of results.
4. Random assignment is often used to place subjects into control and experimental groups to minimize bias.
5. In double-blind experiments, neither participants nor researchers know which is the control group, reducing placebo effects.

Review Questions

Related terms

Experimental Group: The group in an experiment that receives the treatment or intervention being tested.

Random Assignment:

The process of randomly placing participants into different groups to reduce bias and ensure comparability.

Placebo Effect:

A phenomenon where participants experience improvements due to their expectations rather than the actual treatment.