There is a primary assumption associated with employing randomization in experiments. If groups are significantly different at baseline on an important variable or risk factor, multivariate statistics should be used to adjust for the differences. Comparable groups are needed at baseline in order to truly understand the effects of a treatment on an outcome.ĭifferences in baseline characteristics between treatment groups of an experimental research design can drastically bias the results (either positively or negatively). When study participants are randomly assigned to treatment groups or "arms," the groups are thought to be equal or comparable in terms of baseline characteristics. In experimental research designs, and especially in randomized controlled trials, randomization methods are used to randomly assigned participants to either a treatment group or a control group (or multiple intervention groups).
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