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Researchers would like to compare meditation and exercise to see which is more effective for reducing stress. One hundred people who suffer from high stress volunteer to participate in a study for ten weeks. Participants will either be given a 10-week course in meditation or will participate in a 10-week exercise program. The researchers must decide whether to randomly assign the volunteers to the two programs, or allow them to choose.
-Which of the following is the main advantage of randomly assigning participants to the two programs rather than allowing them to choose?
A) The participants are more likely to stick with the program for the full 10 weeks.
B) Confounding variables, such as past practice of meditation, should be approximately equal for the two groups.
C) Random assignment ensures that the two sample sizes are equal and that requirement is necessary in studies like this one.
D) Random assignment will allow the results to be extended to the population of all adults.

Question

Use the following information for questions:
 Researchers would like to compare meditation and exercise to see which is more effective for reducing stress. One hundred people who suffer from high stress volunteer to participate in a study for ten weeks. Participants will either be given a 10-week course in meditation or will participate in a 10-week exercise program. The researchers must decide whether to randomly assign the volunteers to the two programs, or allow them to choose.
-Which of the following is the main advantage of randomly assigning participants to the two programs rather than allowing them to choose?
A) The participants are more likely to stick with the program for the full 10 weeks.
B) Confounding variables, such as past practice of meditation, should be approximately equal for the two groups.
C) Random assignment ensures that the two sample sizes are equal and that requirement is necessary in studies like this one.
D) Random assignment will allow the results to be extended to the population of all adults.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Random assignment helps to evenly distribute confounding variables (like previous experience with meditation or exercise) across both groups, reducing their potential impact on the study's outcome and increasing the internal validity of the experiment.

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