Final answer:
A research category where individuals receive the same treatment is known as the control group, providing a baseline for comparison against treatment groups in a randomized experiment.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of scientific research, particularly in social studies, when individuals receive the same treatment, this is usually in reference to the control group. A control group is a group in a randomized experiment that receives an inactive treatment or a standard condition, which is compared against other groups where the experimental treatment is applied. The control group helps researchers measure the effect of the treatment by providing a baseline to compare against the experimental or treatment groups.
In such studies, all subjects might experience both treatments, with the order of the treatments being randomly assigned. Random assignment is crucial as it helps eliminate the influence of lurking variables that can skew the results. To further ensure the integrity of the study, researchers often employ blinding, and in some cases, double-blind procedures to reduce bias. This means that either the subjects, the researchers, or both do not know who is receiving the active treatment and who is receiving placebo.
In the field of sociology, for example, a sociologist may select a set of people with similar characteristics and divide them into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group receives the independent variable(s), such as extra tutoring, while the control group does not. Comparisons are then made to determine the effectiveness of the independent variable.