Random assignment to conditions works to balance participants' individual differences across conditions of the experiment by

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Random assignment to conditions means that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the conditions in the experiment. As a result, the groups formed are equivalent, on average, because individual differences are equally distributed across conditions. This helps to control for potential confounding variables and improve the internal validity of the experiment. Matching individuals on key variables (A) can be time-consuming and may not always be feasible or effective. Forming groups based on an individual differences variable (C) can introduce bias and defeat the purpose of random assignment. Asking individuals to participate in each condition of the experiment (D) is not practical or ethical in some situations, and it may also increase the risk of order effects.

Random Assignment to Conditions Works to Balance Participants' Individual Differences