control group

American  

[kuhn-trohl groop] / kənˈtroʊl ˌgrup /

noun

1. (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.

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control group British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of control group

First recorded in 1950–55

Compare meaning

How does control-group compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• control group vs. experimental group

Example Sentences

Elevidys-treated patients, aged four to seven, maintained motor function above baseline, unlike the control group’s decline.

From Barron's

Despite prior safety concerns and patient deaths, the new data show slowing disease progression compared to a control group.

From Barron's

The mean North Star Ambulatory Assessment score, a 17-item scale that grades functional motor abilities in patients, remained above baseline for the treated group, while the external control group “continued to show the expected age-related decline below their baseline score,” Sarepta said.

From Barron's

Based on other tests including a 10-meter walk, the Elevidys-treated group showed a slowing of disease progression when compared with the control group, Sarepta said.

From Barron's

Participants were randomly assigned to either a moderate-to-vigorous aerobic exercise group or a usual-care control group.

From Science Daily