To determine if topiramate is an effective treatment for alcohol dependence, researchers conducted a 14-week trial of 371 men and women aged 18 to 65 years diagnosed with alcohol dependence. in this double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled experiment, subjects were randomly given either 300 milligrams (mg) of topiramate (183 subjects) or a placebo (188 subjects) daily, along with a weekly compliance enhancement intervention. the variable used to determine the effectiveness of the treatment was self-reported percentage of heavy drinking days. results indicated that topiramate was more effective than placebo at reducing the percentage of heavy drinking days. the researchers concluded that topiramate is a promising treatment for alcohol dependence. complete parts (a) through (f).