Control group

Control group is a term used in experimental design to refer to a group of subjects or conditions that are not exposed to the experimental intervention or treatment. The control group serves as a benchmark against which the effects of the intervention or treatment are measured.

Definition

In an experiment, the control group is defined as the group of subjects who do not receive the experimental treatment or intervention. This group is used to compare the effects of the treatment on the experimental group. The control group helps to eliminate the effects of confounding variables, thus allowing the researcher to isolate the effects of the treatment.

Importance

The control group is a critical component of an experiment because it allows for a comparison between those who receive the treatment and those who do not. This comparison helps to determine whether the treatment has an effect, and if so, how large that effect is. Without a control group, it would be difficult to determine whether any changes observed in the experimental group are due to the treatment or to other factors.

Types of Control Groups

There are several types of control groups that can be used in experiments, including:

• No treatment control groups: In this type of control group, subjects do not receive any treatment or intervention. This is often used when the goal of the experiment is to determine whether a treatment has an effect at all.

• Placebo control groups: In this type of control group, subjects receive a placebo, or a treatment that has no therapeutic effect. This is often used in clinical trials to determine whether the effects of a treatment are due to the treatment itself or to the subjects' expectations of receiving treatment.

• Active control groups: In this type of control group, subjects receive a different treatment or intervention. This is often used when the goal of the experiment is to compare the effectiveness of two or more treatments.

See Also

• Experimental design
• Placebo
• Clinical trial
• Confounding variable

References

Control group Resources
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