Question about the control and treatment of an experiment

[JoeFahey]

I am writing my second lab for my sociology class (High School), and I am not sure I exactly understand what the control and treatment are. Part of the experiment was that we put paper American flags across the floor. It kind of made a minefield. We recorded those who made an effort to avoid stepping on them, and those who simply walked over them. After a certain number, we switched the paper American flags with blank white pieces of paper. Then we repeated the process.
I believe that the first part was the control and the second part was the treatment. In the data analysis, we need to look for a difference in the control and treatment. So I need to just explain whether or not whether having the paper be an American flag or not changed their reaction, right?

So is finding the difference in control and treatment just a way to find out how accurate your conclusion is?

BTW, the experiment was to find out whether or not a symbolic item (US FLAG) would affect human behavior.

 

[StevenYoo]

you're testing whether or not the flag affects people's reactions. Therefore, the flag is the treatment, the white paper is the control.

Statistical significance will depend on your sample size and your threshold for significance (p > 0.05, for example)

 

[JoeFahey]

Originally posted by: StevenYoo
you're testing whether or not the flag affects people's reactions. Therefore, the flag is the treatment, the white paper is the control.

Statistical significance will depend on your sample size and your threshold for significance (p > 0.05, for example)

So a control is used to see how it varies from the treatment to answer your initial question?

 

[EagleKeeper]

Control is setting a baseline that can be used as a measurement.

Then you insert variables into the experiment.

 

[Tobolo]

And you put an American flag on the ground? For shame.

But yeah the Treatment is the flag and the control would be the paper.