Question

Amy is interested in the effect of caffeine on memory recall. She is testing two groups. One group receives coffee, and the other drinks water. The group receiving only water to drink is referred to as the ______ group.

a) Control
b) Experimental
c) Placebo
d) Intervention

Answer 1

The group receiving only water in Amy's experiment to test the effect of caffeine on memory recall is referred to as the control group, which is essential to compare against the experimental group and account for the placebo effect and experimenter bias.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the described experiment where Amy is looking into the effect of caffeine on memory recall, the group receiving only water is referred to as the control group. The control group's purpose is to provide a baseline to compare against the experimental group, which does receive the treatment, in this case, coffee.

The placebo effect is a crucial consideration in experiments; it can cause participants to experience changes simply because they expect the treatment to work, not because the treatment itself is effective. By using a control group, researchers can isolate the effect of the active treatment (caffeine) by comparing it to a group that does not receive it.

To further ensure accuracy, a double-blind study may be employed in which neither the researchers nor participants know who belongs to which group, thus controlling for both experimenter and participant expectations.