The comparison group design is better than the one-group pretest-posttest design at controlling for maturation as a threat to internal validity because the gain on the measured behavior for the comparison group is an indicator of the effect of normal growth over time.

Question

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The comparison group design includes a control or comparison group that does not receive the intervention, allowing researchers to account for changes that occur over time (maturation) by comparing the differences between the experimental group and the comparison group. This helps in isolating the effect of the intervention from natural developmental changes, making it more effective at controlling for maturation as a threat to internal validity than the one-group pretest-posttest design, which lacks this comparison mechanism.

The Comparison Group Design Is Better Than the One-Group Pretest-Posttest