Question

A doctor wants to test a new medicine that will help people who have trouble sleeping. He has two groups of volunteers. He plans to give the medicine to group I and not to group II. Group II will be the control group.

The doctor knows that people taking the medicine may sleep better just because they expect the medicine to work. How can he be sure of whether the medicine really works?

Answer 1

The groups in the study are independent. To confirm the effectiveness of the medicine, the doctor can use a control group and conduct a double-blind study.

Step-by-step explanation:

The groups in this study are independent because the participants in group I and group II are not matched or paired in any way. In an independent design, the participants in each group are randomly assigned and there is no matching or pairing based on specific characteristics.

To ensure that the medicine really works, the doctor can use a control group. The control group receives a placebo, which is a substance that looks like the medicine but does not contain the active ingredients. By comparing the effects of the medicine in group I with the effects of the placebo in group II, the doctor can determine whether the medicine is truly effective or if the effects are simply due to expectations.

The doctor can also use a double-blind study design. This means that neither the researchers nor the participants know who is in which group. Blinding helps minimize experimenter bias and participant expectations, ensuring that any differences observed between the groups can be attributed to the medicine itself.