Read the passage below and answer che question thar tallows Researchers are beginning to conduct clinical trials for a new medication designed to reduce the itching associated with poison Ivy. The researchers randomly divide the group of trial participants in half. One group of participants is treated with the actual medication, while the other participants are treated with a placebo, a substance that looks the same as the medication but has none of the active ingredients. Only the researchers know which participants receive the medication and which receive the placebo. 7. Which of the following best explains the purpose of having a group of participants receive a placebo in a study such as this? a) It helps the researchers distinguish between the actual effects of the medication and effects participants might imagine they feel. B) It prevents the researchers from inadvertently allowing their own preconceptions and expectations to influence the clinical trial or the interpretation of results. C) it keeps the overall research and development costs associated with the medication to a minimum. D) It allows the researchers to test the medication's effectiveness without exposing more people than necessary to potential side effects. Back Next