A researcher is conducting an experiment on the effect of alcohol consumption on reaction time and half of the subjects drink alcoholic drinks and half drink non-alcoholic versions of the same drinks.The subjects receiving the non-alcoholic drinks are the ____ group and are used in the study to minimize the influence of ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The subjects receiving the non-alcoholic drinks are the control group, which is used in the study to minimize the influence of the placebo effect. The placebo effect is the tendency for people to experience changes in behavior or physical symptoms simply because they believe they are receiving a treatment or substance, rather than because of the treatment or substance itself. The control group is important for comparison to the experimental group (the subjects receiving alcoholic drinks) to determine if any changes in reaction time are due to the alcohol consumption or just the placebo effect.

A Researcher Is Conducting an Experiment on the Effect of Alcohol