Table of Contents
Definition of Control Group
(noun) In an experiment, the subjects not exposed to the independent variable to ensure the validity of the results.
Example of Control Group
- Through pre- (before) and post- (after) testing, exploring whether exposure to six-weeks of anti-violence training produces measurable change among the participants, the control group is the one that is not provided any training.
Control Group Pronunciation
Syllabification: con·trol group
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /kuhn-trOHl grOOp/
- British English – /kuhn-trOHl grOOp/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /kənˈtroʊl grup/
- British English – /kənˈtrəʊl gruːp/
Usage Notes
- Plural: control groups
- Typically experiments require an experimental group (exposed to independent variable) and a control group (not exposed to independent variable).
Additional Information
- Quantitative Research Resources – Books, Journals, and Helpful Links
- Word origin of “control” and “group” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
Related Terms
- attribute
- correlation
- data
- experiment
- hypothesis
- random sample
- reliability
- spurious correlation
- statistical analysis
- statistics
- survey
Contributor: C. E. Seaman
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Cite the Definition of Control Group
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Seaman, C. E. 2015. “control group.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary, edited by Kenton Bell. Retrieved February 9, 2025 (https://sociologydictionary.org/control-group/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
Seaman, C. E. (2015). control group. In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/control-group/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Seaman, C. E. 2015. “control group.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary, edited by Kenton Bell. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://sociologydictionary.org/control-group/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
Seaman, C. E. “control group.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2015. Web. 9 Feb. 2025. <https://sociologydictionary.org/control-group/>.