EXPERIMENT VS. OBSERVATION

One group of subjects was given an herbal supplement, and another group was given a placebo. After one year, the number of illnesses in each group was compared.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

A researcher stood at a school parking lot entrance to observe if the color of a car is related to the driver not wearing a seatbelt.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

A professor finds that obese people have higher cholesterol levels than those who are not obese.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

Four groups of randomly selected people are assigned different diets. After six months, the blood pressures of each group are compared.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

You want to see if students with a 4.0 grade point average study more than those who do not.

• Experiment

• Observational study

You want to compare the health of students who walk to school with the health of students who ride the bus.

• Experiment

• Observational study

A researcher randomly assigned boys and girls to two groups. One group watched a violent television program while the other group watched a nonviolent program. The children's behavior was then recorded for instances of aggressive behavior. This research method is best characterized as...

• Experimental

• Observation

A psychologist designed a study to test the effects of cell phone use on driving safety. Participants were randomly assigned to either drive an automobile simulator while talking to a friend on a cell phone, or to drive a simulator without talking on a phone.

Which type of research does the scenario describe?

• Experiment

• Observation

To test the effects of breakfast on grades, I ask my students if they ate breakfast and then compare the grades of breakfast eaters to those of non-breakfast eaters.

This is an example of:

• Observational study

• Experiment

Researchers wanted to know if there is a link between proximity to high-tension wires and the rate of leukemia in children. To conduct the study, they compared the rate of leukemia for children who lived within 1/2 mile of high-tension wires to the rate of leukemia for children who did not live within 1/2 mile of high-tension wires.

• Observational Study

• Experiment