In an experiment on the effects of caffeine on the alertness…

In an experiment on the effects of caffeine on the alertness of college students, student volunteers are randomly assigned to two groups. One group is given caffeinated coffee while the other group is given decaffeinated coffee. All participants then play a video game to assess their mental acuity, measured as their final score on the video game. In this study, the group that is given caffeinated coffee is called the: