Relative Pronoun Question

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1

In the following sentence, what should ‘‘which’’ be repaced with? The book I use suggests that ‘‘who’’ is correct, but I shouldn’t ‘‘that’’ be correct instead? The subjects can be both human and animal, and since ‘‘who’’ is only used for people, I think it’s not correct.

Researchers have claimed that subjects which stood on a rapidly vibrating platform during an experiment were able to slightly improve their athletic performance for a short time afterward.

2

Well, this is… odd. I mean, the animal wouldn’t be hurt in any way by standing on a ‘‘rapidly vibrating platform’’. Thanks for replying.

3

In the OP’s sentence, it’s obvious that the subjects are human since it’s their athletic performance being tested afterward.

4

Thanks!