Volunteers in a study are assigned randomly to groups. Some of the vo

QUESTION

Volunteers in a study are assigned randomly to groups.

Some of the volunteers receive an herbal supplement that is reputed to control nausea, and some of the volunteers are assigned to a control group where a placebo is administered. This is an example of a(n):

a. Longitudinal study.
b. RCT.
c. Meta-analysis.
d. Appraisal tool.

ANSWER:

ANS: B
RCTs, or randomized controlled trials, always involve testing of a treatment through the random assignment of subjects in the study to an experimental or treatment group or to a control group that receives a placebo.