A scientist wants to study the effect of vitamin C on colds.He recruits 100 people with colds and gives the experimental group 1000 mg of vitamin C per day.What would be an appropriate control?
A)Give the control group nothing.
B)Give the control group 2000 mg of vitamin C per day.
C)Give the control group orange juice every day.
D)Give the control group a pill similar to vitamin C but containing sugar (a placebo).
E)Give the control group 1000 mg of another brand of vitamin C per day.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The best control group would be one that doesn't receive any actual vitamin C but believes they are receiving it. This is achieved by giving them a placebo pill that looks and tastes similar to the vitamin C pill but contains only a sugar or inert substance. This allows the scientist to compare the effects of the real vitamin C with the effects of a placebo, which helps account for any placebo effects or other confounding factors.

A Scientist Wants to Study the Effect of Vitamin C