A clothing manufacturer is curious if celebrity endorsements will influence a customer's decision in buying its products.This clothing manufacturer premieres its latest series of commercials privately to two separate groups of potential shoppers.One group will see a series of commercials without celebrities,and one group will see a series of commercials with celebrities.Furthermore,the manufacturer decides to split up the male shoppers from the female shoppers.
Grouping the shoppers together by gender is an example of what?

Question

A clothing manufacturer is curious if celebrity endorsements will influence a customer's decision in buying its products.This clothing manufacturer premieres its latest series of commercials privately to two separate groups of potential shoppers.One group will see a series of commercials without celebrities,and one group will see a series of commercials with celebrities.Furthermore,the manufacturer decides to split up the male shoppers from the female shoppers. 
Grouping the shoppers together by gender is an example of what?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Grouping the shoppers together by gender is an example of blocking. This helps to control for any potential confounding factors related to gender and ensures that any observed differences in purchasing decisions between the two groups (one seeing commercials with celebrities and the other without) are more likely due to the influence of the celebrity endorsements rather than any differences in gender.

A Clothing Manufacturer Is Curious If Celebrity Endorsements Will Influence