What Double blind is
Double blind is a type of experimental design in which both the participants and researchers are unaware of which participants belong to which group. This helps ensure that the results of the experiment are not affected by any unconscious biases of either the participants or the researchers.
Double blind experiments consist of the following steps:
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Researchers create two groups - the experimental group, which receives the treatment, and the control group, which does not.
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Participants are randomly assigned to either group.
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Neither the participants nor the researchers know which group each participant belongs to.
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The participants complete the experiment, and the researchers collect data.
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After the experiment has ended, the researchers analyze the data and compare the results from the two groups.
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Finally, the researchers reveal which participants belonged to which group, allowing them to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the treatment.
Examples
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In a double-blind clinical trial, neither the participants nor the researchers know which participants have received the experimental treatment and which have received the placebo, thus avoiding bias on the part of both the participants and the researchers.
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In a double-blind peer review process, the identity of both the authors of the paper and the reviewers is concealed from each other, thus avoiding bias in the review process.