Experiment Vocabulary

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What is an experiment?

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A research study in which available subjects are randomly assigned to two or more different treatments to compare how responses to the treatments differ.

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What is an observational study?

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A statistical study in which the conditions to be compared are already present in the subjects that are observed.

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What is a control group?

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In an experiment, a randomly selected group of subjects that gets no treatment, gets a placebo, or gets an established or standard treatment.

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What is a placebo?

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A fake treatment given to subjects of an experiment that appears to be the real treatment.

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What is a response variable?

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In an experiment, the outcome to be measured.

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What is a treatment in the context of an experiment?

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A specific condition applied to the subjects in an experiment.

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What are experimental units?

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The individuals or items to which treatments are applied in an experiment.

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What is a lurking variable?

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A variable that is not included in the study but affects the outcome.

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What is random assignment?

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The process of randomly assigning subjects to different treatment groups to ensure each group is similar.

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What is a sample survey?

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A study that collects data from a subset of a population to make inferences about the entire population.