Question

You design an experiment to test the hypothesis that consuming caffeine increases a person's chances of developing a headache. Participants in the experimental group will be told to drink 8 ounces of caffeinated soda in the morning once a day for 10 days, and to abstain from drinking any other caffeinated beverages or soda. Which of the following is an appropriate control group for your experiment?
a) A group that drinks 8 ounces of decaffeinated hot coffee (no caffeine) in the morning once a day for 10 days and abstains from drinking any other caffeinated beverages or soda
b) A group that drinks 8 ounces of caffeinated soda once a day for 10 days in addition to their normal beverage habits
c) A group that drinks 8 ounces of decaffeinated soda (no caffeine) in the morning once a day for 10 days and abstains from drinking any other O caffeinated beverages or soda.
d) A group that does not drink soda (caffeinated or decaffeinated) or other caffeinated beverages for 10 days

Answer 1

Answer:

d) A group that does not drink soda (caffeinated or decaffeinated) or other caffeinated beverages for 10 days

Explanation:

In an experiment, two groups exist as follows: experimental group and control group. Experimental group is the group that receives the experimental treatment (independent variable) while the CONTROL GROUP is the group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

In this experiment, the experimental treatment is the CAFFEINATED SODA (contains caffeine). Hence, the appropriate control group for this experiment will be the group that does not drink any soda (whether caffeinated or decaffeinated) or other caffeinated beverages for 10 days.