Randomized Control Trials and Confounding

In this video, Greg Martin discusses randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and their effectiveness in controlling confounding variables. He explains the setup of RCTs, where participants are randomly assigned to intervention or placebo groups to ensure similarity. The video also covers the concept of confounding variables, using examples like shark attacks and ice cream sales to illustrate how they can provide alternative explanations for observed relationships. Martin highlights the advantage of RCTs in nullifying the effects of confounding variables, even those not identified, due to equal distribution across groups.

Provide an example of a confounding variable and explain its impact on research findings.

What are the benefits of having equally distributed confounding variables in both groups of a randomized controlled trial?