Mehran has heard from some of his teammates that drinking a high protein supplement after football training will improve his muscle mass. He decides to test this hypothesis by comparing the muscle mass of teammates who drink the high protein drink with a control group who drink only water. Which of the following would be the best control for his experiment?
A) randomly selected teammates who are given only small amounts of a protein drink
B) randomly selected teammates in training who are given a placebo instead of a protein drink
C) volunteers from the general campus population who are not given any protein drink
D) volunteers from the football team who agree to take a placebo instead of a protein drink

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best control group for this experiment would be randomly selected teammates in training who are given a placebo instead of a protein drink. This control group would ensure that any differences in muscle mass between the two groups could be attributed to the protein drink, rather than other factors such as training intensity or genetics. Option A is not a good choice because the small amount of protein in the drink could still have an effect on muscle mass. Option C is not a good choice because the participants are not football players, so their muscle mass may differ for reasons unrelated to the protein drink. Option D is similar to B, but it is better to have the control group be composed of members of the football team who are undergoing the same training regimen as the experimental group.

Mehran Has Heard from Some of His Teammates That Drinking