Question

Chapter 10 Dropbox Question

Distinguish between an experimental group and a control group.

1. Explain/discuss the importance and difference of each group in a research/study – in no less than 200 words.

2. Give an example of each group i.e. the experimental group and the control group.

3. How important is selection/matching of members of each group - no less than 50 words?

As part of your answer explain some of the potential consequences of not selecting/matching participants in a study – no less than 50 words?

Answer 1

The difference between a control group and an experimental group is that the independent variable is changed for the experimental group, but is held constant in the control group.

An experimental group is the group that receives an experimental procedure or a test sample.the group being actually exposed to the factor being tested in an experiment. For example, in an experiment designed to test the validity of a new medicine, the experimental group is the one receiving the new medicine.

Example:-You are testing to see if a new drug works for asthma. You divide 100 volunteers into two groups of 50. One group of 50 gets the drug; they are the experimental group. The other 50 people get a sugar pill (a placebo); they are the control group.

A control group is a group separated from the rest of the experiment such that the independent variable being tested cannot influence the results.a control group is a group used for comparison with the experimental group, i.e. the group exposed to the factor being tested. For example, in an experiment designed to test a new medication, the control group is the one that receives the placebo

Example :-In an experiment in which blood pressure medication is tested, one group is given the blood pressure medication while the control group is given a placebo pill.