Elements of Research

                                                                                   

Blinding

Blinding is a technique used to decrease bias on the part of the researcher or the participant. In some studies, the participant is not told to which group they have been assigned. This is called single blinding. There is another level of blinding called double blinding where neither the researcher nor the participant know which group the participant is in until this information is revealed at the end of the study. Blinding can reduce the temptation to ignore random assignment procedures and can reduce any expectations about the potential effectiveness of the treatment or program since group assignment remains unknown by the participant, the researcher or both the participant and researcher. The results are more likely to provide information about the true effect of the treatment or program being tested when blinding is used.

Case example of blinding

                               

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