Experimental Design Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering experimental variables, treatment types, control groups, and methods for reducing bias based on lecture notes.

Variable

Some condition of your system that can be altered or manipulated to learn how the system works.

Experimental Variable (Independent Variable)

The one variable altered between treatments to test its impact.

Dependent Variable

The variable you measure to determine your results, such as rates of childbed fever.

Controlled Variable

Everything kept the same between treatments, such as type of bed patients use, amount of time patients are attended for, and age-range of patients.

Treatment

A group or setup that all have the same conditions.

Controlled Treatment

A setup where conditions are unchanged and the experimental variable has not been altered, such as placebo treatments.

Experimental Treatment

A treatment setup where the experimental variable is altered.

Negative Control Treatment

A controlled treatment where the system or outcome should not be affected.

Positive Control Treatment

A controlled treatment where the system or outcome should be affected in a way you have already observed.

Methods to Reduce Bias and Confounds

Techniques including having more than one sample per treatment group, repetition of experiments, randomized sampling, and double-blind or masked setups.