Final answer:
The term 'Reactive effects of testing' relates to changes in participants' behavior due to the testing process itself. A well-designed study uses randomization, blinding, and control groups with placebos to minimize these effects and ensure the reliability of the data collected.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that refers to potential reactive effects in experimental settings is b) Reactive effects of testing. This involves the influence that the process of testing itself may have on the participants' behavior or responses. For example, participants may perform better on a test simply because they have already been tested once before. This can lead to improved scores not because of the treatment or intervention, but because of familiarity with the test.
To counteract such effects, a well-designed study would include random assignment to treatment groups to ensure that there are no systematic differences, such as lurking variables, between groups. Additionally, blinding of both the researchers and participants can be employed to maintain the integrity of the study and ensure that the observed effects are solely due to the influence of the treatment, not biases or expectations.
Placebo treatments are often used as a control to demonstrate what happens in the absence of the active treatment. The aim is to ensure the only difference between treatment groups is the one imposed by the researcher, and thus any difference in response must be attributed to the explanatory variable.