Statistical studies

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you are trying to determine how much RTA is used by Tri-C students. Find 100 Tri-C students and randomly split them into two groups. One group uses RTA for transportation and the other group uses other means of transportation.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Answer explanation

Since the students are randomly put into groups, this is an experimental study. The control group is the group that uses other means of transportation while the treatment group is the one that uses RTA for transportation. Either way it is better than riding in this shopping cart! :(

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CCSS.HSS.IC.B.3

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you are trying to determine if tutoring is being used effectively at Tri-C. You look at the academic records of 1000 students and compare that to the tutoring center login records.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Answer explanation

This is an observational study. There is no treatment and the academic records are compared to tutoring logins. There is no randomization of the students.

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CCSS.HSS.IC.B.3

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you are trying to determine if a vaccine is effective against an infectious disease such as COVID-19 in those 65 years and older. Each participant will receive one of two treatments - either the vaccine or a placebo. Randomly assign 1000 participants into 500 matched pairs. Each pair is matched on gender and age. The first pair might be men, both age 72, the second pair might be women aged 70 and so on.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Answer explanation

This is an experimental study. The treatment group receives the vaccine while the control group receives the placebo.

Thankfully, I don't have COVID, but I did break my paw.:(

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CCSS.HSS.IC.B.3

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you want to find out if people who drink a mix of creatine, BCAAs and caffeine before a workout, perform better during their session. Randomly divide the participants into 2 groups. One group will drink the mix 30 minutes before the workout and the other group will not. Their results will be compared.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Answer explanation

The treatment group received the drink mix and the control group did not. Since the participants were randomly assigned and a treatment (drink mix) was given, this is an experimental study.

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CCSS.HSS.IC.B.3

State whether the situation represents an experimental study or an observational study.

Suppose you are trying to determine how much RTA is used by Tri-C students. Find 100 Tri-C students who work full time and 100 Tri-C students who do not work at all. Compare their grade point averages.

• Observational study

• Experimental study

Answer explanation

This is observational since the groups being compared have no treatment applied. Observations are made about recorded data.

I'm glad I don't have to work. It is hard being a dog though!

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CCSS.HSS.IC.B.3

Suppose during your Zoom meeting, the picture either pixelates or you lose connection. You complain to your internet service provider that "whenever I am on Zoom, my connection is interrupted." After answering a few questions asked by the technical support, it is found that you have other members of the household streaming Netflix, on Facebook live, and are on their online class website.

Was correlation or causation observed?

Answer explanation

At first, you thought that your internet connection was causing your Zoom meeting disruptions. This was not the cause of your disruptions, but the drag from the other users in the household was. There was an association between these items, not causality.

Cats can also play into Zoom meeting disruptions.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.C.9

Correlation does not imply (blank).

Answer explanation

Two variables can be related without cause and effect being in place. For example, there is a relationship to the number of dog biscuits I eat and the number of walks that I get each day. However, there is no causal relationship.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.C.9

In Ohio, all drivers are banned from sending text messages by law while driving as a primary law. Text messaging while driving results in distracted driving and more accidents.

This is an example of (blank).

Answer explanation

The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. Texting while driving is 6x more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. Answering a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. Traveling at 55 mph, that's enough time to travel the length of a football field. Texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road. Of all cell phone related tasks, texting is by far the most dangerous activity.

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CCSS.RI.4.3

CCSS.RI.5.3

CCSS.RI.6.3

CCSS.RI.7.3

CCSS.RI.8.3

A (blank) variable or factor might have an effect on an observational study. These provide an alternative explanation for a relationship between variables in a study.

Answer explanation

It had been observed that folks who take vacations have significantly longer lives on average than people who don't. Vacationing cannot be assumed to be a way of living longer. A person's income could be a confounding variable. Higher income gives more resources such as vacations, but also better access to things like health care.

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CCSS.7.SP.B.3

A research study finds that 80% of the people who fly first class are either doctors or lawyers. Is this an example of correlation or causation?

Answer explanation

Flying first class does not cause one to be a doctor or lawyer. In the same respect, being a doctor or lawyer does not cause people to fly first class.

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CCSS.HSS.ID.C.9