Control Group

Definition

The control group refers to the group of participants in an experiment who do not receive any treatment or intervention. They serve as a baseline for comparison with the treatment group.

Related terms

Treatment Group: The treatment group is the group of participants in an experiment who receive a specific treatment or intervention.

Placebo Effect: The placebo effect occurs when individuals show improvement simply because they believe they are receiving a beneficial treatment, even if it is actually inactive.

Double-blind Study: A double-blind study is an experimental design where neither the participants nor researchers know which individuals are assigned to the control or treatment groups in order to minimize bias.