Final answer:
The term meaning the treatment participants would normally receive outside of a medical study is 'standard of care.' In clinical trials, a control group receives a placebo to control for the placebo effect, and trials may be double-blind to prevent bias.
Step-by-step explanation:
In medical studies, the term you're referring to is "standard of care." This refers to the treatment that participants would normally receive outside of the study, and it is not some lesser treatment but the accepted, conventional, or usual treatment given for a particular disease or condition. Researchers in a study may compare a new treatment against this standard to see if it offers any improvement.
In randomized clinical trials, a control group receives a placebo treatment, which is an inactive treatment designed to look like the actual medication but without its therapeutic effect. This is done to control for the placebo effect, which is when a patient's symptoms can improve simply because they believe they are being treated, even if the treatment is ineffective. Moreover, trials are often double-blind, meaning neither the participants nor the researchers know who has been assigned to the control or treatment group, further mitigating the risk of bias.