Question

A different coffee seller offered to sell coffee to Jenae's company for half the cost of their current brand. Jenae knew her co-workers were really partial to the coffee they drank now, so she decided to conduct a study to see if they noticed the difference in flavor. Her co-workers were convinced they would. Jenae provided each person with a sample and said that some had the new coffee and some did not. Only Jenae knew who had which brand of coffee.
Jenae's strategy is an example of a(n) ________.

a. randomized experiment
b. blind experiment
c. completely randomized experiment
d. matched-pair designed experiment

Answer 1

Answer: B. Blind experiment

Step-by-step explanation: While conducting an experiment, experimenters may aim to eliminate factors which are very likely to cause bias and hence affect the veracity of the study. In the scenario above, the participants of the study (coworkers) were only provided with samples of the two coffee types without any of them knowing if it was the coffee they drank now or the new coffee brand. Hence, withholding such information from the participant is a technique in experimenting called blinding. Because, the information could affect the outcome and hence objective of the study as the participants were already partial towards the present coffee being consumed.