Between-participant design

Definition: A between-participant design is a type of experimental design in which participants are allocated to independent experimental or treatment groups (including the control group). The main purpose of this study design is to examine the difference between groups. Participants may be separated into groups based on their characteristics (e.g., children with ADHD vs. healthy controls). Random assignment to two groups is also possible. If assignment is random, the study allows for causal conclusions.

Alternative definition:

Synonym: Between-group design, Between-subject design, independent measures design

References: N/A

Related terms: Within-group design, Within-subject design, Within-participant design; Experimental design, ANOVA