What is the role of a control group in an experiment?

The role of a control group in an experiment is to serve as a benchmark against which the effects of the treatment can be compared. A control group shares similar attributes with the experimental group, such as demographics, health status, and environmental factors, which ensures that any differences in outcomes can be attributed to the treatment itself rather than to other variables.

By not receiving the treatment, the control group helps researchers determine what happens in the absence of the intervention. This allows for a clearer interpretation of the results from the experimental group, where the treatment is applied. The presence of a control group is essential for establishing causality and strengthening the validity of the experimental findings. This systematic comparison helps in identifying the true effects of the treatment and controls for confounding variables, ultimately leading to more reliable conclusions and insights.