Researchers wished to determine if a new experimental medication will reduce the symptoms of allergy sufferers without the side effect of drowsiness.To investigate this question,the researchers gave the new medication to 50 adult volunteers who suffer from allergies.Forty-four of these volunteers reported a significant reduction in their allergy symptoms without any drowsiness.How could this study be improved?

A) Include people who do not suffer from allergies in the study in order to represent a more diverse population.
B) Repeat the study with only the 44 volunteers who reported a significant reduction in their allergy symptoms without any drowsiness,giving them a higher dosage this time.
C) Give the spouses of the volunteers a placebo.
D) Use randomization to divide the volunteers into 2 groups-one to receive the experimental medication and one to receive the placebo.

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Hannah Daschil · Accepted Answer

Final Answer : D, Explanation :  The study could be improved by using randomization to divide the volunteers into two groups, one to receive the experimental medication and one to receive the placebo. This would allow for a comparison between the two groups and would control for any potential confounding variables. Additionally, repeating the study with only the 44 volunteers who reported a significant reduction in their allergy symptoms without any drowsiness and giving them a higher dose could also be a helpful improvement, but it would not address the issue of randomization. Including people who do not suffer from allergies in the study would not be helpful for investigating the effectiveness of the medication on allergy symptoms. Giving the spouses of the volunteers a placebo would not be relevant to the research question.

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