Two psychiatrists conducted an experiment to test the effectiveness of a new drug expected to help people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The researchers tested 60 clients with OCD, randomly assigning 30 to a group that received the drug and 30 to a placebo control group that received a pill without the drug. The use of a placebo control group and random assignment are most closely related to which criterion for showing causation?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The use of a placebo control group helps eliminate alternative explanations for why the drug might be effective, as the placebo group may experience a placebo effect (perceiving improvement based on belief alone) that could explain any observed improvement in the drug group. Random assignment also helps eliminate alternative explanations by creating comparable groups of participants, ensuring that any differences between the groups after treatment are more likely to be due to the drug, rather than preexisting differences between the groups.

Two Psychiatrists Conducted an Experiment to Test the Effectiveness of a New