Question

Which of the following situations has the greatest potential for biased or inaccurate results in an experimental process?

(a) Ms. Ochoa-Bolton is an outside consultant who is conducting a health and wellness survey for a pharmaceutical company. She does not know the name of the company, nor does she know the name of the drug being tested during the survey.
(b) Ms. Adamian is a research technician surveying a study group on response to a new cold remedy. She only knows the email address of each subject and asks them identical questions by computer.
(c) Dr. Wisidagama is evaluating cancer patients for their responses to a new therapeutic drug. She knows which patients are receiving the drug, and which are receiving the placebo.
(d) Dr. Waters is analyzing biopsy samples from rats that have been given either a placebo or an experimental drug believed to reduce inflammation. Each sample is identified by a code number such that she cannot tell which treatment each rat received.
(e) Ms.Nuno is conducting a survey of weight loss regimens as part of her master's degree project. Her online survey is anonymous and asks each participant the same questions.

Answer 1

Option (c) presents the greatest risk for biased results because it involves experimenter bias, as the researcher knows which patients are receiving the actual drug versus the placebo.

Step-by-step explanation:

The situation with the greatest potential for biased or inaccurate results in an experimental process is option (c): Dr. Wisidagama is evaluating cancer patients for their responses to a new therapeutic drug. She knows which patients are receiving the drug, and which are receiving the placebo. This scenario represents a risk of experimenter bias, which can occur when a researcher's expectations influence the results of the study. In contrast, a double-blind study where both researchers and participants are unaware of group assignments reduces both experimenter and participant expectations, minimizing bias and the placebo effect.