how to do a double blind experiment

Blinding means withholding which group each participant has been assigned to. Studies may use single-, double- or triple-blinding. Single-blinding occurs in many different kinds of studies, but double- and tr…

Double-blind studies are those in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment. Double blinding prevents bias in research results, specifically due to demand …

A double-blind study withholds each subject’s group assignment from both the participant and the researcher performing the experiment. If participants know which group they are assigned to, there is a risk that they …

Learn what a double blind study is and how it differs from a single blind or triple blind study. See the value and limitations of blinding.

A number of biases are present when a study is insufficiently blinded. Patient-reported outcomes can be different if the patient is not blinded to their treatment. Likewise, failure to blind researchers results in observer bias. Unblinded data analysts may favor an analysis that supports their existing beliefs (confirmation bias). These biases are typically the result of subconscious influences, and are present even when study participants believe they are not influenced by them.

A single-blind study masks the subjects from knowing which study treatment, if any, they are receiving. A double-blind study blinds both the subjects as well as the researchers to the treatment allocation.

In a double-blind study, participants and experimenters do not know who is receiving a particular treatment. Learn how this works and explore examples.