experimental unit

experimental unit, in an experimental study, a physical entity that is the primary unit of interest in a specific research objective. Generally, the experimental unit is the person, animal, or object that is the subject of the experiment. Experimental units receive different treatments from one another in an experiment.

As a case in point, consider an experiment designed to determine the effect of three different exercise programs on the cholesterol level of patients with elevated cholesterol. Each patient is referred to as an experimental unit, the response variable is the cholesterol level of the patient at the completion of the program, and the exercise program is the factor whose effect on cholesterol level is being investigated. Each of the three exercise programs is referred to as a treatment.