Scenario:
A new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, aimed to determine if exercise could
effectively treat anxiety. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg studied 307 adults ages 36
to 45 with anxiety syndrome. Patients were randomly assigned to either a moderate exercise
group, a strenuous exercise group, or to a group who received advice on physical activity. Anxiety
symptoms in all three groups were measured at the beginning and the end of the study by
observers who did not know who was in which group. Researchers found that both moderate and
strenuous exercise groups had a greater reduction in anxiety symptoms compared to the group just
getting advice on physical activity. The difference was not statistically significant.
1. Describe the control group.
2. What is the explanatory variable?
3. What were the response variables?
4. Did the researches use any blinding? If so, what was blinded
5. Are the results generalizable to all adults with anxiety syndrome?