Pilot Solomon Four-Group Design

The Pilot Solomon Four-Group Design is a small-scale, preliminary implementation of the Solomon four-group experimental design. Its purpose is to test the feasibility and logistics of the full design before committing to a resource-intensive main study. The Solomon four-group design, introduced by Richard L. Solomon in 1949, controls for pretest sensitisation by using four groups — two that receive a pretest and two that do not — crossed with treatment and control conditions. Piloting this design allows researchers to estimate effect sizes, detect procedural problems, and verify that the pretest does not unduly influence posttest scores.