A researcher is planning an experiment to test whether a new teaching approach is helpful in improving the results of peer tutoring. Which one of the following procedures is LEAST likely to reduce the effects of confounding variables?
A) Randomly assign half of the peer tutors to implement the new teaching approach.
B) Randomly assign research assistants to assess the results of the new teaching approach.
C) Make sure the students being tutored are not aware of whether their peer tutor is using the new approach.
D) Make sure the research assistants assessing the results of the experiment don't know which student received which teaching approach.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Random assignment of research assistants to assess the results of the new teaching approach can minimize the effects of any confounding variables the assessors may have. Random assignment of half the tutors to use the new approach and keeping the students being tutored unaware of their tutors' approach can also help reduce confounding variables, but they are not as effective as random assignment of assessors. Making sure the research assistants don't know which student received which teaching approach can help reduce bias but it does not necessarily minimize the effects of confounding variables.

A Researcher Is Planning an Experiment to Test Whether a New