What is the primary purpose of randomly assigning participants to experimental and control groups?
A)To help eliminate confounding variables related to individual differences.
B)To help minimize observer bias.
C)To reduce the likelihood of the placebo effect.
D)To ensure that the results are generalizable.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Randomly assigning participants to experimental and control groups helps eliminate confounding variables related to individual differences. By randomly assigning participants, the experimenters ensure that any individual differences are spread equally across the groups, rather than being concentrated in one group. This helps ensure that any differences between the groups in the outcome variable are due to the manipulation of the independent variable, rather than other variables.

What Is the Primary Purpose of Randomly Assigning Participants to Experimental