In the control group, what did participants reflect on?

• A. Customer feedback.
• B. Their past mistakes.
• C. Their daily routine.
• D. Their career goals.

Answer: (C)

When a study uses a control group, the task given to that group is designed to be a neutral baseline so that any differences between groups come from the experimental manipulation, not from the act of reflecting itself. Reflecting on one’s daily routine fits that purpose because it’s everyday and emotionally neutral; it helps keep cognitive load and mood from shifting in ways that could confound results. In contrast, thinking about customer feedback could bring evaluative pressure, past mistakes could trigger guilt or rumination, and career goals could spark ambition or motivation. Those topics introduce extra variables, making it harder to isolate the effect of the experimental condition.