A study compares the effect on college students of two different TV advertisements for spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Call the ads "Ad #1" and "Ad #2." We want to know which ad makes more students want to visit Gulf Shores during spring break. The subjects are 90 students taking a course in hotel management. The design of the study looks like this: The method used to form the groups appears in the diagram above at the point marked "Question A." This method is
A) men in Group 1, women in Group 2.
B) students choose which group they want.
C) voluntary response.
D) randomization.
E) the first students to appear go to Group 1.

Question

A study compares the effect on college students of two different TV advertisements for spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Call the ads "Ad #1" and "Ad #2." We want to know which ad makes more students want to visit Gulf Shores during spring break. The subjects are 90 students taking a course in hotel management. The design of the study looks like this:  The method used to form the groups appears in the diagram above at the point marked "Question A." This method is
A) men in Group 1, women in Group 2. 
B) students choose which group they want. 
C) voluntary response. 
D) randomization. 
E) the first students to appear go to Group 1.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best method to form the groups is randomization because it ensures that each participant has an equal chance of being in either group, which minimizes the potential for bias. By randomly assigning participants to each group, we can be more confident that any differences in outcomes between the two groups are due to the different TV ads and not to any pre-existing differences between the students in the groups.

A Study Compares the Effect on College Students of Two