{"id":86443,"date":"2022-12-11T15:30:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-11T19:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=86443"},"modified":"2022-12-20T16:02:09","modified_gmt":"2022-12-20T20:02:09","slug":"what-are-scientific-controls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-are-scientific-controls\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are Scientific Controls? (Definition & Purpose)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What are scientific controls? Why are they instrumental in experiments?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Bad Science<\/em>, Ben Goldacre explains that scientific studies are designed to test one treatment at a time, without any influence from other factors. To do this, good researchers make use of scientific controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s go into more detail on a scientific control’s role in studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Scientific Controls Shape Results<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

What are scientific controls and why are important? Scientific controls are elements of a study\u2019s design that are put in place to prevent specific factors from influencing results. By contrast, some researchers use weak experimental controls to manipulate their results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The practice of running experiments with controlled variables is called the scientific method. Scientists believe that the scientific method is what distinguishes scientific knowledge from other types of knowledge<\/a>, such as the knowledge contained in philosophical treatises or religious texts. This doesn\u2019t mean that these other kinds aren\u2019t useful and meaningful. It simply means that only <\/em>knowledge produced in controlled experiments can be considered scientific.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All scientific experiments involve a control subject and a test subject. Ideally, your control and test subjects should be identical in every way except<\/em> for the variable you\u2019d like to test\u2014in the medical field, this variable is usually a medical treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s demonstrate this with an example. Suppose you\u2019re designing an experiment to test the effect of direct sunlight on pea plants. It wouldn\u2019t be enough to simply put a pea plant in the sun and observe it, because you\u2019d have nothing to compare it to. To really see how the sun affects plants, you\u2019ll need at least one other plant, kept in a relatively dark location. Then, measuring against your control plant (the one kept in darkness), you\u2019ll be able to evaluate the growth of your test plant (the one kept in the sun).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, in the real world it isn\u2019t possible to completely control variables. Researchers make decisions based on practicality, funding, ethics, and other factors. (For example, in our pea plant experiment, the different rooms in your house might be at slightly different temperature and humidity levels. Unless you were willing to spend lots of money remodeling your house, you\u2019d be limited by money and practicality, just like a real researcher.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Experts note that one reason medical studies aren\u2019t able to completely control variables is that health care and human bodies are both complex systems<\/a>. Because these systems include so many variables, small differences in treatment as well as in patients\u2019 bodies can lead to different medical outcomes. Even though many of these variables are difficult to spot, they can still have a huge impact on a study\u2019s results.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spotting Bad Experimental Controls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because controlling variables can be a complex process that includes compromise, you should carefully evaluate the studies you read. Studies that show a high level of detail and thorough commitment to controlling as many variables as possible are likely to be trustworthy. The best studies are aware of their own flaws and may even go so far as to suggest future methods that would improve those flaws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, if a study doesn\u2019t spend much time discussing how variables were controlled, Goldacre says you should take the study with a grain of salt. Its findings might be meaningful, but they might just as easily be the result of a variable the researchers conveniently left out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Lack of experimental controls isn\u2019t always a bad thing. As experts describe, some studies don\u2019t include experimental control because of the natural limitations of their experiments<\/a>. For instance, in a study on the longevity of smokers as compared to nonsmokers, it\u2019d be impossible to control aspects of the participants\u2019 lives such as diet and exercise. However, researchers could still generate useful data from observing and comparing the two groups.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What are scientific controls? Why are they instrumental in experiments? In Bad Science, Ben Goldacre explains that scientific studies are designed to test one treatment at a time, without any influence from other factors. To do this, good researchers make use of scientific controls. Let’s go into more detail on a scientific control’s role in studies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":11754,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[160,25],"tags":[829],"class_list":["post-86443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science","category-statistics","tag-bad-science","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Are Scientific Controls? 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