Mr. McCarthy hired Anya to collect data from a group of subjects. Neither Anya nor the subjects were aware of the independent variable that Mr. McCarthy had manipulated. This is an example of __________.
A) randomization
B) a placebo
C) double-blind control
D) experimenter bias

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scenario described is an example of double-blind control, where neither the researcher (Mr. McCarthy) nor the participants (subjects) are aware of the independent variable being manipulated. This is done to minimize the potential for experimenter bias and to ensure that any observed effects are not influenced by the researcher's expectations or biases. Randomization is a technique used to assign participants to different experimental groups in a way that ensures each group is comparable on important variables, but it is not directly relevant to this scenario. A placebo is a treatment that appears to be real but has no active ingredients or therapeutic effects, which is not mentioned in this scenario. Finally, experimenter bias refers to the potential for a researcher's expectations or biases to influence the interpretation of study results, which is not necessarily relevant to this scenario depending on how Mr. McCarthy plans to analyze and interpret the data collected by Anya.

Mr McCarthy Hired Anya to Collect Data from a Group