Which Group Would Be the Most Effective Control Subjects in a Test

Question

Which group would be the most effective control subjects in a test of an experimental treatment?
A) The control group should be a different age or gender than the experimental subjects.
B) The control group should be given different doses of the experimental treatment.
C) The control group should be kept well informed of what treatment they are getting.
D) The control group should have characteristics very similar to the experimental subjects.

Accepted Answer

The control group should have characteristics very similar to the experimental subjects in order to control for any extraneous variables that could affect the results of the experiment. This ensures that any differences observed between the control and experimental groups can be attributed to the experimental treatment and not to other factors such as age or gender. Therefore, option D is the most effective choice for control subjects. Options A, B, and C would introduce additional variables that could affect the results of the experiment and make it difficult to determine the true effects of the experimental treatment.