UArizona Researcher Gives Her Opinion on the Problem with Experimental Controls

Melinda Davis and Sheila Robinson

In a perfect world, evaluation studies would compare two groups that differ only on the treatment assignment as opposed to multiple other variables. Unfortunately, because there are many ways that a comparison group can differ from the intervention group, this ideal condition is not always met. Dr. Melinda Davis, a research assistant professor of psychology, offers her take on research designs and the problem with control groups.