Randomly assigning participants to condition allows the researcher to minimize the effects of
A) demand characteristics.
B) the experimental treatments.
C) systematic differences between the groups.
D) placebos.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Randomly assigning participants to conditions helps to ensure that there are no systematic differences between the groups at the start of the study. This can help to control for extraneous variables and increase the internal validity of the study. While random assignment may also help to minimize the effects of demand characteristics and experimental treatments, these are not the primary reasons for using random assignment. Placebos are typically only used in studies that involve some kind of medication or treatment, and are not relevant to all types of research.

Randomly Assigning Participants to Condition Allows the Researcher to Minimize