Would this correctly result in random assignment?
1. A researcher assigns students to one of three conditions based on the month of their birth. If they were born in January, April, July, or October, they are assigned to condition A. February, May, August, and November births are assigned to B. March, June, September and December births are assigned to C.
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sorry. thanks for letting me know!
No, this method of assignment based on the month of birth would not result in random assignment. Random assignment refers to a procedure where participants are assigned to different conditions of an experiment in a manner that is unbiased and unpredictable. The method you described, which is assigning participants to conditions based on the month of their birth, does not meet these criteria.
To achieve random assignment, you need to use a randomization procedure that ensures every participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition. Here are some commonly used methods for random assignment:
1. Simple random assignment: In this method, participants are randomly assigned to different conditions using a random number generator or a table of random numbers. Each participant has an equal likelihood of being assigned to any condition.
2. Blocked random assignment: This method involves grouping participants into blocks based on certain characteristics (e.g., age, gender) and then randomly assigning participants within each block to different conditions. This ensures balance in the distribution of important characteristics across the conditions.
3. Stratified random assignment: This method involves dividing participants into subgroups based on relevant characteristics (e.g., age, gender) and then randomly assigning participants within each subgroup to different conditions. This ensures that each subgroup is represented equally within each condition.
It is essential to use random assignment to minimize biases and increase the internal validity of an experiment. This helps ensure that any differences observed between conditions are due to the manipulation of the independent variable rather than pre-existing differences between participants.