In experimental design, attrition refers to ______.
A) people leaving a study
B) people changing over time
C) a treatment effect spreading from group to group
D) a treatment having less and less effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Attrition refers to the loss of participants from a study or experiment, typically due to dropout, non-compliance, or other reasons. Therefore, option A is the correct choice. Option B relates to the concept of maturation, where participants may change over time, leading to changes in study results. Option C refers to the concept of contamination, which occurs when one group influences the outcomes of another group, which is not related to attrition. Option D refers to the concept of regression to the mean, where participants may exhibit extreme scores at the beginning of a study, leading to more moderate scores in subsequent measurements. This is also not related to attrition.

In Experimental Design, Attrition Refers to ______