What is random allocation?

What is random allocation?

• A. People are chosen randomly, e.g., names from a hat, meaning there's an equal chance of being selected.
• B. A technique for measuring the DV.
• C. A method of controlling extraneous variables.
• D. A procedure for manipulating the IV.

Answer: (A)

Random allocation means assigning participants to experimental conditions by chance so each person has an equal chance of ending up in any group. This helps balance individual differences across groups, so when you manipulate the independent variable, any differences seen in the dependent variable are more likely due to that manipulation rather than pre-existing differences between participants. It’s about how you assign people after you’ve chosen your sample, not about how you select the sample itself. The other ideas describe measuring the DV, controlling extraneous variables, or manipulating the IV, which are different parts of the design.

Random allocation means assigning participants to experimental conditions by chance so each person has an equal chance of ending up in any group. This helps balance individual differences across groups, so when you manipulate the independent variable, any differences seen in the dependent variable are more likely due to that manipulation rather than pre-existing differences between participants. It’s about how you assign people after you’ve chosen your sample, not about how you select the sample itself. The other ideas describe measuring the DV, controlling extraneous variables, or manipulating the IV, which are different parts of the design.