Question

The control group in an experiment should:

A. receive none of the same experiences as the treatment group.
B. have the same experiences as the treatment group, except for receiving the treatment variable
C. be carefully matched to the treatment group on a large number of characteristics.
D. receive the treatment at random
E. receive the opposite of the treatment given to the treatment group.

Answer 1

any thoughts on this?

Answer 2

yea I've been debating between B. and D. i know that the experiments should be as close as possible so there aren't any lurking variables, I'm pretty sure its B but i just wanted a second opinion

Answer 3

it is B. An example is probably one good way to show why.

Let's say we were testing to see if a fertilizer is more effective than just growing without it.

The treatment variable is applying fertilizer. The control group doesn't get any fertilizer. The other variables such as soil type, water amount, sunlight amount, climate, etc are all held the same for both groups

Answer 4

D says "receive the treatment at random" but you do NOT apply treatment to the control group. Only to the treatment or experimental group. The control group is what you compare against. You need some form of baseline to compare.

So that's why the answer isn't D

Answer 5

ok awesome thanks so much!

Answer 6

np