What does standardization in research involve?

• A. Providing uniform procedures across participants.
• B. Increasing variability in instructions.
• C. Allowing different researchers to interpret results differently.
• D. Concealing the true purpose of the study.

Answer: (A)

Standardization means making the way the study is carried out the same for every participant. This includes giving the exact same instructions, using the same environment and timing, and following the same procedures and materials. When those elements are uniform, we can be more confident that differences in participants’ responses come from what’s being measured rather than from how the study was conducted. This consistency helps with reliability and makes it easier for other researchers to replicate the study.

That’s why providing uniform procedures across participants is the best choice. The other ideas would introduce differences or ethical concerns that undermine the goal of comparability: increasing variability in instructions adds noise, different researchers interpreting results differently reduces objectivity, and concealing the study’s purpose relates to deception, not standardization.