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PSY 510 SNHU Importance of Random Assignment Paper

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Psychology
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Southern New Hampshire University
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THE IMPORTANCE OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT 1
Stephanie P. Martinez
Southern New Hampshire University
PSY 510
Short Paper: The Importance of Random Assignment

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THE IMPORTANCE OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT 2
Importance of Random Assignment
The use of chance procedures in psychological experiments to ensure that participants
have an equal chance of being placed in a particular group or condition is called random
assignment (Cherry, n.d.). When assigning participants to experimental conditions it is
important to randomly assign them for several reasons. The book Beginning Behavioral
Research: A Conceptual Primer, states that random assignment is intended as a safety
measure so that researchers will not subconsciously let their own opinions influence the
placement of participants in a particular group. In other words, it eliminates possible sources
of bias from the researchers.
Another benefit explained in the book is that the characteristics of the participants
would be distributed throughout both the experimental and control groups resulting in an
outcome that is likely impartial (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2013). It is important to keep in mind
that randomization does not guarantee equality in characteristics of participants assigned to
different conditions (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2013). For example, one group can still somehow
end up with participants who are mostly female in Group A, and the rest male in Group B.
Since participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any group, it is not likely
that any differences in groups found could be due to another variable. Furthermore, Cherry
(n.d.) explains that since the likelihood that two groups are the same is increased via random
assignment, any resulting changes brought on by the application and manipulation of the
independent variable can be attributed to the result of the treatment. The likelihood of equal
groups also means that the groups are likely more presentative of the larger population
(Cherry, n.d.), therefore increasing the external validity of the experiment.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT 1 Stephanie P. Martinez Southern New Hampshire University PSY 510 Short Paper: The Importance of Random Assignment THE IMPORTANCE OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT 2 Importance of Random Assignment The use of chance procedures in psychological experiments to ensure that participants have an equal chance of being placed in a particular group or condition is called random assignment (Cherry, n.d.). When assigning participants to experimental conditions it is important to randomly assign them for several reasons. The book Beginning Behavioral Research: A Conceptual Primer, states that random assignment is intended as a safety measure so that researchers will not subconsciously let their own opinions influence the placement of participants in a particular group. In other words, it eliminates possible sources of bias from the researchers. Another benefit explained in the book is that the characteristics of the participants would be distributed throughout both the experimental and control groups resulting in an outcome that is likely impartial (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2013). It is important to keep in mind that randomization does not guarantee equality in characteristics of participants assigned to different conditions (Rosnow & Rosenthal, 2013). For example, one group can still somehow end up with participants who are mostly female in Group A, and the rest male in Group B. Since participants have an equal chance of being assigned to any group, it is not li ...
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