A researcher testing a new medication for attention deficit disorder randomly assigns half of the participants to get the actual medication and half to get a sugar pill. Neither the researcher nor the participants know who is getting what. This study design will
A) increase measurement reliability.
B) increase explicit bias.
C) reduce study validity.
D) reduce unconscious bias.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Random assignment to treatment groups helps to reduce unconscious bias as neither the researcher nor the participants know which group they are assigned to, reducing the influence of any preconceived notions or expectations. It doesn't necessarily increase measurement reliability, but it does increase study validity by allowing for a comparison between the two groups.

A Researcher Testing a New Medication for Attention Deficit Disorder