Dr. Taylor is conducting a study to test the effect of a new drug on people's ability to concentrate at work. His research sample consists of 100 US adults. During a 14-week period, half of the sample is administered the drug and the other half is administered a placebo, and participants' concentration abilities are continually tracked. In the context of this study, if Dr. Taylor uses random assignment, it means that ____.
A) his study will be high in external validity
B) the 100 adults in his study are likely to be representative of the larger population of interest
C) each research participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each level of the independent variable (e.g., the placebo group or the drug group)
D) his research findings are likely to be statistically significant

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Random assignment refers to the process of assigning participants to different levels of the independent variable (i.e., the drug or placebo group) in a way that each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each level. This helps ensure that the groups are comparable at the beginning of the study, which increases the internal validity of the study. Random assignment does not necessarily guarantee that the study will be high in external validity or that the findings will be statistically significant. However, it does increase the likelihood that the sample will be representative of the larger population of interest.

Dr Taylor Is Conducting a Study to Test the Effect