In the study by Laney et al. (false memory), random allocation was used.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2021). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1] 1 mark for definition, 2nd mark for link
2. [1] Random allocation is a way to divide participants between levels of the independent variable such that any participant has an equal chance of being in any condition; (definition)
3. [1] Laney's participants were in the 'love' (asparagus) / false memory group or the control group; (link)
4. [2] Laney's participants were in the 'love' (asparagus) / false memory group or the control group by chance; 2
5. [0] Participants are put in experimental or control group without bias = 0 (because could be stratified allocation)
6. [1] 1 mark for strength, 1 mark for link
7. [1] Random allocation reduces the effect of confounding variables such as individual differences; (strength)
8. [1] The participants could have really loved asparagus or not (so would be spread between the groups); (link)
9. [1] The participants could have differed in gullibility to false memories (so would even across groups); (link)