Dr.Nan is studying the effects of Ginseng on recall.He has 2 groups of subjects, (20 subjects in each group).Subjects are given Ginseng or Placebo and then asked to recall a list of words they previously studied.However,to avoid confounds what should Dr.Nan do?
A)Counterbalance placebo & Ginseng
B)Match groups on an IQ test and assign to groups
C)Randomly assign subjects to groups
D)All of these
E)None of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Counterbalancing would help to control for order effects, but it does not address potential differences in participant characteristics or ensure equal group sizes. Matching groups on an IQ test could help to control for individual differences, but it would not necessarily ensure equal group sizes or prevent other confounds. Randomly assigning subjects to groups is the best option here because it helps to ensure that any individual differences or confounding variables are distributed evenly between the groups, reducing the risk of biased results. However, it is important to note that random assignment does not guarantee that the groups will be perfectly equivalent - it simply helps to minimize the potential for bias. Therefore, the best option is to use all of these strategies together: counterbalancing, matching on relevant variables (such as age or gender), and random assignment.

DrNan Is Studying the Effects of Ginseng on Recall