Professor Montgomery is interested in testing the utility of a new teaching technique but is worried that individual differences between her students' levels of comprehension of the course material may affect her outcomes. How might she reduce this concern?
A) use random sampling
B) use random assignment
C) use another professor's students
D) only examine students who are already doing well in the class

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By using random assignment, Professor Montgomery can ensure that any individual differences between her students' levels of comprehension are distributed evenly across the experimental and control groups, thus reducing the potential influence of those differences on her outcomes. Random sampling would be more appropriate if Professor Montgomery wanted to ensure that her sample was representative of the larger population, but it wouldn't address the issue of individual differences between students. Using another professor's students or only examining students who are already doing well in the class would also not address this concern.

Professor Montgomery Is Interested in Testing the Utility of a New