In an experiment, what is the term for the group that does not receive the experimental treatment?

• A. Experimental group
• B. Placebo group
• C. Control group
• D. Variable group

Answer: (C)

Think of an experiment as a careful comparison between what happens with the treatment and what happens without it, while keeping everything else the same. The group that does not receive the experimental treatment serves as the baseline for comparison, known as the control group. This setup lets us see how the outcome changes due to the treatment itself because all other conditions are kept constant between the groups. Sometimes a placebo is used within the control framework to blind participants and account for expectations, but the central idea is that this group provides a baseline against which effects are measured. The group that actually receives the treatment is the experimental group. The term variable group isn’t a standard label for a participant group; variables are factors that can change and are manipulated or observed, not a named group.