Final answer:
In an experiment where Treatment A is used for the treatment group, the group exposed to Treatment B is known as the control group, which serves as a standard for comparison and typically receives a placebo to eliminate biases and confounding factors.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the group exposed to Treatment A in an experiment is designated as the treatment group, then the group exposed to Treatment B would typically be known as the control group. The control group is a central component of experimental design, serving to provide a standard of comparison against the effects of the treatment group. It is crucial in randomized experiments that the control group receive an inactive treatment or a placebo, which looks exactly like the active treatment but does not contain the active substance or element being tested. This helps to manage the groups identically in every way except for the exposure to the experimental manipulation, ensuring that any differences in outcomes are due to the independent variable being tested.
By employing random assignment and blinding, researchers can minimize confounding variables or biases. Random assignment of subjects helps distribute potential lurking variables evenly, making it more likely that differences in outcomes can be attributed to the independent variable's influence. Blinding, whether single or double, is used to further reduce bias by preventing the subjects and/or researchers from knowing who receives which treatment, thus guarding against the power of suggestion or experimenter bias.