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In which research design are participants randomly assigned to groups?

1. Independent groups

2. Case-control studies

3. Longitudinal studies

4. Cross-sectional studies

The correct answer is: Independent groups

The selection of independent groups as the correct answer highlights the fundamental characteristic of this research design, which involves randomly assigning participants to different conditions or groups. This randomness is essential for minimizing biases and ensuring that the groups are equivalent at the start of the experiment, thereby enhancing the validity of the results. By having random assignment, researchers can make more reliable inferences about the causal relationships between variables. Independent groups typically allow researchers to examine differences in outcomes between groups exposed to different treatments or conditions. This design is often utilized in various fields such as psychology, medicine, and social sciences, where establishing a cause-and-effect relationship is crucial. On the other hand, case-control studies involve selecting participants based on their outcome status, which does not allow for random assignment. Longitudinal studies track the same participants over a long period without random assignment to different groups, focusing instead on changes over time within the same group. Cross-sectional studies measure variables at a single point in time and also do not involve random assignment, often giving a snapshot of a population rather than inferring causal relationships.