The experimental group in an experiment consists of the subjects who are exposed to an independent variable that is introduced or manipulated by the researcher. The purpose of exposing this group to the independent variable is to observe and measure its effect on the dependent variable, which is the outcome the researcher is interested in. The experimental group is compared to a control group, which does not receive the independent variable, to determine the impact of the manipulation. Researchers carefully design the experiment to ensure that the only systematic difference between the experimental and control groups is the presence or level of the independent variable, allowing them to infer causality if a significant difference in the dependent variable is observed. Random assignment of participants to the experimental and control groups helps to ensure that the groups are equivalent at the start of the experiment, minimizing the influence of confounding variables.