Random Allocation to Two Independent Groups

 

Menu location: Analysis_Randomization_Two Independent Groups

 

This function allocates a given number of subjects at random to one of two independent groups.

 

Randomization reduces opportunities for bias and confounding in experimental designs, and leads to treatment groups which are random samples of the population sampled, thus helping to meet assumptions of subsequent statistical analysis (Bland, 2000).

 

Two independent groups might be intervention and control groups, for example to examine the effect of a new treatment. For a randomized controlled trial of a new treatment you would randomly allocate some subjects to receive the new treatment and the other subjects to receive the control treatment (e.g. placebo drug). For a total of 30 subjects in two groups of 15 you would enter 30 into this function:

 

Unpaired random allocation to intervention or control group

Randomized with seed: 10

Intervention	1	Control	2
Intervention	3	Control	6
Intervention	4	Control	8
Intervention	5	Control	12
Intervention	7	Control	13
Intervention	9	Control	16
Intervention	10	Control	17
Intervention	11	Control	20
Intervention	14	Control	21
Intervention	15	Control	23
Intervention	18	Control	24
Intervention	19	Control	25
Intervention	22	Control	27
Intervention	26	Control	28
Intervention	30	Control	29

 

- here the first subject would be allocated to the control group and the second to the treatment group etc.

 

Technical validation

Robust (pseudo-)random number generation is used, see random number generation.