
The treatment group (also called the experimental group) receives the treatment whose effect the researcher is interested in. The control group receives either no treatment, a standard treatment whose effect is already known, or a placebo (a fake treatment).
Full Answer
What is a treatment group in biology?
· Experimental Group Definition. In a comparative experiment, the experimental group (aka the treatment group) is the group being tested for a reaction to a change in the variable. There may be experimental groups in a study, each testing a different level or amount of the variable. The other type of group, the control group, can show the effects of the variable by …
What is the treatment group that receives the variable?
Control and Treatment Groups: A control group is used as a baseline measure. The control group is identical to all other items or subjects that you are examining with the exception that it does not receive the treatment or the experimental manipulation that the treatment group receives. For example, when examining test tubes for catalytic reactions of enzymes when added to a …
What is a group that receives no treatment?
In the design of experiments, treatments are applied to experimental units in a treatment group. In comparative experiments, members of a control group receive a standard treatment, a placebo, or no treatment at all. There may be more than one treatment group, more than one control group, or both. A placebo control group can be used to support a double-blind study, in which some …
Why is the control group important in biology?
Start studying Biology chapter 1. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. ... the __ group receives no experimental treatment. cells. every living organism is composed of one or more ___ in a controlled experiment, the __ group is the group that receives some type of experimental treatment. experimental.

What is treatment group?
Treatment Group – The group that receives the variable, or altered amounts of the variable. Variable – The part of the experiment being studied which is changed, or altered, throughout the experiment. Scientific Method – The steps scientist follow to ensure their results are valid and reproducible.
Why are control groups important in drug trials?
Oftentimes, control groups in drug trials consist of people who also have the disease or ailment, but who don’t receive the medicine being tested. Instead, to keep the control group the same as the treatment groups, the patients in the control group are also given a pill. This is a sugar pill usually and contains no medicine. This practice of having a control group is important for drug trial, because it validates the results obtained. However, the control groups have also demonstrated an interesting effect, known as the placebo effect
What is a scientist quiz?
Quiz. 1. A scientist is studying the effect of a toxin on bacteria cells. The scientist divides a single population of bacteria into three parts. The parts are separated into different petri dishes and solutions of different strengths (5M and 10M) are applied to two dishes, while the third contains only bacteria.
What is the scientific method?
Scientific Method – The steps scientist follow to ensure their results are valid and reproducible. Placebo Effect – A phenomenon when patients in the control group experience the same effects as those in the treatment group, though no treatment was given.
Why do people get better in drug trials?
Some scientists have suggested that people get better simply because they believed they were going to get better , but this theory remains untested. Other scientists claim that unknown variables in the experiment caused the patients to get better. This theory remains unproven, as well.
Why is it important to have a control group?
This is a sugar pill usually and contains no medicine. This practice of having a control group is important for drug trial, because it validates the results obtained. However, the control groups have also demonstrated an interesting effect, known as the placebo effect.
Why is it important to study plants?
In a study of plants, for instance, all the plants would ideally be in the same room, with the same light and air conditions. In biological studies, it is also important that the organisms in the treatment and control groups come from the same population. Ideally, the organisms would all be clones of each other, to reduce genetic differences.
How do ecologists study the interactions of organisms?
Ecologists sometimes study the interactions of organisms on these environments by excluding or adding organisms to an experimental group of ecosystems, and test the effects of their variable against ecosystems with no tampering. This method can sometimes show the drastic effects that various organisms have on an ecosystem.
Why is it desirable to have all the subjects closely related in a biological experiment?
In such cases, it is desirable that all the subjects be closely related, in order to reduce the amount of genetic variation present in the experiment.
What is control group?
Control Group – The group that remains unchanged during the experiment, to provide comparison.
How are control groups and experimental groups different?
The control group will be kept in a room with no music, while the experimental group will be further divided into smaller experimental groups. Each of the experimental groups is placed in a separate room, with a different type of music. Ideally, each room would have many plants in it, and all the plants used in the experiment would be clones ...
What is an experimental group?
In a comparative experiment, the experimental group (aka the treatment group) is the group being tested for a reaction to a change in the variable. There may be experimental groups in a study, each testing a different level or amount of the variable. The other type of group, the control group, can show the effects of the variable by having a set amount, or none, of the variable. The experimental groups vary in the level of variable they are exposed to, which shows the effects of various levels of a variable on similar organisms.
Why is group 1 considered a control group?
Group 1 is the control group, because it receives a “standard” amount of the variable being tested. Oftentimes, when a variable is present in a wild population, an average amount of the variable is given to the control group. Other times, when the variable is not present in the wild, the control group receives none of the variable.
What is treatment in comparative studies?
In comparative experiments, members of a control group receive a standard treatment, a placebo, or no treatment at all. There may be more than one treatment group, more than one control group, or both.
What is a placebo control group?
A placebo control group can be used to support a double-blind study, in which some subjects are given an ineffective treatment (in medical studies typically a sugar pill) to minimize differences in the experiences of subjects in the different groups; this is done in a way that ensures no participant in the experiment (subject or experimenter) knows to which group each subject belongs. In such cases, a third, non-treatment control group can be used to measure the placebo effect directly, as the difference between the responses of placebo subjects and untreated subjects, perhaps paired by age group or other factors (such as being twins).
Can a third control group be used to measure the placebo effect?
In such cases, a third, non-treatment control group can be used to measure the placebo effect directly, as the difference between the responses of placebo subjects and untreated subjects, perhaps paired by age group or other factors (such as being twins).
Why do we have experimental and control groups?
The purpose of having experimental and control groups is to have sufficient data to be reasonably sure the relationship between the independent and dependent variable is not due to chance. If you perform an experiment on only one subject (with and without treatment) or on one experimental subject and one control subject you have limited confidence ...
What is an experimental group?
The experimental group is the set of subjects exposed to a change in the independent variable. While it's technically possible to have a single subject for an experimental group, the statistical validity of the experiment will be vastly improved by increasing the sample size. In contrast, the control group is identical in every way to ...
What is the problem with the control group and experimental group?
One problem is that the same subject is being used as both the control group and the experimental group. You don't know, when you stop taking treatment, that is doesn't have a lasting effect. A solution is to design an experiment with truly separate control and experimental groups. If you have a group of people who take ...
Can a control group contain more than one experimental group?
It's best to have a large sample size for the control group, too. It's possible for an experiment to contain more than one experimental group. However, in the cleanest experiments, only one variable is changed.
What are the two groups of experiments?
Scientific experiments often include two groups: the experimental group and the control group. Here's a closer look at the experimental group and how to distinguish it from the experimental group.
Is the control group normal or experimental?
Sometimes, it's more complicated and the control is "normal" and the experimental group is " not normal". For example, if you want to see whether or not darkness has an effect on plant growth. Your control group might be plants grown under ordinary day/night conditions. You could have a couple of experimental groups. One set of plants might be exposed to perpetual daylight, while another might be exposed to perpetual darkness. Here, any group where the variable is changed from normal is an experimental group. Both the all-light and all-dark groups are types of experimental groups.
What is the group of subjects exposed to a particular treatment?
In an experiment, the group of subjects exposed to a particular treatment; also known as the treatment group.
What is the term for the group of subjects not exposed to the treatment being studied but otherwise treated identically to the experimental
In an experiment, the group of subjects not exposed to the treatment being studied but otherwise treated identically to the experimental group.
What is a fact based understanding of biology?
A general, fact-based understanding of the basics of biology and other sciences, the scientific method, and the social, political, and legal implications of scientific information.

Control Group Definition
- In scientific experiments, the control group is the group of subject that receive no treatment or a standardized treatment. Without the control group, there would be nothing to compare the treatment group to. When statistics refer to something being “X times more likely to happen” they are referring to the difference in the measurement between the treatment and control group. Th…
Examples of Control Group
- Testing Enzyme Strength
In a simple biological lab experiment, students can test the effects of different concentrations of enzyme. The student can prepare a stock solutionof enzyme by spitting into a beaker. Human spit contains the enzyme amylase, which breaks down starches. The concentration of enzyme can b… - Testing Drugs and the Placebo Effect
When drugs are tested on humans, control groups are also used. Although control groups were just considered good science, they have found an interesting phenomena in drug trials. Oftentimes, control groups in drug trials consist of people who also have the disease or ailment, …
Related Biology Terms
- Treatment Group– The group that receives the variable, or altered amounts of the variable.
- Variable– The part of the experiment being studied which is changed, or altered, throughout the experiment.
- Scientific Method– The steps scientist follow to ensure their results are valid and reproducible.
- Placebo Effect– A phenomenon when patients in the control group experience the same effe…
- Treatment Group– The group that receives the variable, or altered amounts of the variable.
- Variable– The part of the experiment being studied which is changed, or altered, throughout the experiment.
- Scientific Method– The steps scientist follow to ensure their results are valid and reproducible.
- Placebo Effect– A phenomenon when patients in the control group experience the same effects as those in the treatment group, though no treatment was given.
Quiz
- 1. A scientist is studying the effect of a toxin on bacteria cells. The scientist divides a single population of bacteria into three parts. The parts are separated into different petri dishes and solutions of different strengths (5M and 10M) are applied to two dishes, while the third contains only bacteria. Which of these populations represents the control group? A. The colony with 5M s…