control group

noun

(in an experiment or clinical trial) a group of subjects closely resembling the treatment group in many demographic variables but not receiving the active medication or factor under study and thereby serving as a comparison group when treatment results are evaluated.

Origin of control group

First recorded in 1950–55

Words nearby control group

control electrode, control experiment, control freak, control freakery, control grid, control group, control key, control panel, control point, control rocket, control rod

Example sentences from the Web for control group

British Dictionary definitions for control group

control group

noun

any group used as a control in a statistical experiment, esp a group of patients who receive either a placebo or a standard drug during an investigation of the effects of another drug on other patients

Medical definitions for control group

control group

n.

A group used as a standard of comparison in a control experiment.