test subject
Trial volunteer role
A test subject is a person, animal, or thing used in an experiment or study to observe effects or gather data.
In scientific research, test subjects receive treatments, undergo procedures, or complete tasks while researchers measure outcomes: The test subjects were given either the drug or a placebo.
The term often implies being acted upon rather than participating voluntarily, which gives it sinister overtones in fiction—mad scientists and their unwilling test subjects.
One who takes part
- specimenIndividual for examination
- guinea pigSmall rodent, pet or test subject
- volunteerUnpaid willing participant
- human trialsMedical tests on people
clinical trial · laboratory · observation · data collection · randomization · double-blind · placebo effect · control group
Research experiment animal
- mouseSmall gnawing mammal
- primateHigher mammal order member
- vivisectionSurgery on living animals
- animal welfareNon-human health and treatment
cage · dissection · Pavlov's dog · maze · conditioning
Voluntary agreement given
- willingnessOpenness to act
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
- unpaidNot yet compensated
- pro bonoFree professional services
autonomy · incentive · stipend · participation · enrollment
Able to wait calmly
- clinicalEmotionally detached, medically precise
- pharmacologyStudy of drug actions
- toxicologyScience of poisons
- drug trialTest of experimental medication
dosage · efficacy · safety · biomarkers · blood draw · vital signs · medical history · contraindications
Researched particular instance
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- methodologyFormal procedural framework
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
- findingsConclusions from investigation
results · analysis · correlation · longitudinal · cross-sectional · qualitative · quantitative · peer review
participant
One who takes part
- specimenIndividual for examination
- guinea pigSmall rodent, pet or test subject
- volunteerUnpaid willing participant
human trials · clinical trial · laboratory · observation · data collection · randomization · double-blind · placebo effect · control group · variables
lab rat
Research experiment animal
- mouseSmall gnawing mammal
- primateHigher mammal order member
- vivisectionSurgery on living animals
animal welfare · cage · dissection · Pavlov's dog · maze · conditioning
consent
Voluntary agreement given
- willingnessOpenness to act
- altruismPrioritizing others' wellbeing
- unpaidNot yet compensated
pro bono · autonomy · incentive · stipend · participation · enrollment
patient
Able to wait calmly
- clinicalEmotionally detached, medically precise
- pharmacologyStudy of drug actions
- toxicologyScience of poisons
drug trial · dosage · efficacy · safety · biomarkers · blood draw · vital signs · medical history · contraindications · side effects
case study
Researched particular instance
- observationAttentive watching or remark
- methodologyFormal procedural framework
- hypothesisTestable proposed explanation
findings · results · analysis · correlation · longitudinal · cross-sectional · qualitative · quantitative · peer review · anonymity
- experimentsexperiment, experiments, trials, experimental group, control group
- participantsparticipant, entrant, respondent, applicant, enrollee
- examineesexaminee, AP students, retaker, candidate, applicant
- lie detectionpolygraph, lie detector, truth serum, electrodes, galvanometer
- research subjectsparticipant, volunteer, enrollee, recruit, control
- clinical trialsclinical trial, placebo, double-blind, control group, double blind
test subjectresearcher
One who studies systematically
experimenter · scientist · investigator · tester · lab director
test, subject, protest, tested, testing, tests, tester, untested, subjective