The double-blind procedure, a procedure that eliminates biasness hence generating more precise results is widely used by psychologists in experimental research to determine the cause-effect relationship. This essay will describe the nature, the purpose and advantages of using the double-blind procedure in scientific research.

Myers (2002) defines the double-blind procedure as a procedure where both the experimenter and subject are unaware about which subjects have received the actual treatment or the placebo. The subjects are randomly assigned to two different groups, that is the experimental and the control group. The former is given the actual treatment, while the latter receives a placebo which serves as an inauthentic substitute of a treatment that has no substantial chemical distinguishing qualities or active agent (Feldman, 1999). However, both groups do not know if they are receiving the actual treatment or not.

The double-blind procedure is usually used when testing a drug or in...