BLINDING AND RANDOMIZATION

BLINDING & RANDOMIZATION

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BLINDING

RANDOMIZATION

Randomization is an experimental design used in research where objects and individuals are randomized in an experimental group. Researchers use this method to avoid potential biases or judgement. Benefit: Researchers are able to achieve comparability between the intervention (new treatment) and the control group to explain differences in results or outcome by treatment. Limitation: The length of the research may require significant investment. It is one of the most expensive methods of collecting data in terms of time and money.

Blinding is where neither the participants nor the assigned physicians knows which group the participants are assigned to. Two types of blinding includes:

• Single- One party is blinded to treatment allocation, this usually refers to either patients only or researchers only.
• Double- Two parties are blinded to treatment allocation, patients and researchers.

Benefit: The researcher cannot affect the outcome of the study by treating patients in the intervention group differently and the patient is not influenced by knowing which treatment he or she received. Limitation: Active placebos can interfere with the results. This outcome may cause them to conclude that they are in the treatment group. That means some participants have a higher positive expectancy than those who don’t feel those effects. It is a disadvantage that can lead to a misinterpretation of the results being experienced in real-time.

Castor. (2021, March 9). Randomization & Blinding in Clinical Trials. https://www.castoredc.com/blog/randomization-in-medical-research-an-introduction/ Gaille, L. (2020, February 3). 16 Advantages and Disadvantages of a Double-Blind Study. Vittana. https://vittana.org/16-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-a-double-blind-study VCE Psychology - Single and Double Blind Procedures. (2015, August 28). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDtnqGpmQ-Y What is “randomization”? (2020, March 16). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTQ3uztVqGo