Asked by shakif seymour on Jun 17, 2024

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An experimenter tests the reading skills of some 10-year-old children, puts them on a low-fat diet for 6 months, retests their reading skills, and finds that most show a significant improvement in their reading. The experimenter concludes that a low-fat diet improves intellectual development. One major defect in this study is the lack of any

A) dependent variables.
B) demand characteristics.
C) control group.
D) independent variables.

Control Group

In experimental research, the group of subjects that does not receive the experimental treatment, serving as a baseline for comparison.

Independent Variable

A variable in research that is manipulated or changed to observe its effect on a dependent variable.

Low-Fat Diet

A dietary approach that aims to reduce the intake of fatty foods, especially saturated fats and cholesterol, for health reasons.

  • Scrutinize the imperfections and limitations in the design of experiments.
  • Acquire knowledge about the purpose of control groups in research experiments.
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MM
Muzammil mehdiJun 20, 2024
Final Answer :
C
Explanation :
The major defect in the study is the lack of a control group. Without a control group, it is impossible to determine if the improvement in reading skills was actually caused by the low-fat diet or if it was due to some other factor such as the passage of time or the act of being tested again.