Random Assignment

Random assignment, also referred to as randomization, is an integral step in conducting experimental research. Much like probability sampling—that utilizes randomness in the selection of a sample from a target population to ensure that each participant (i.e., observation) has an equal chance of being included in the study—random assignment selects participants from the sample to be included in certain experimental conditions based on the notion that each participant has the same odds of being selected for each treatment. In experimental research design, there are at least two different groupings in one sample, the first being a control group (i.e., the group that does not receive the treatment or exposure to the variable) and the other being the experimental group (i.e., the group that ...