The personnel director at a large company studied the eating habits of the company's employees. The director noted whether employees brought their own lunches to work, ate at the company cafeteria, or went out to lunch. The goal of the study was to improve the food service at the company cafeteria. This type of data collection would best be considered as
A) a quota sample.
B) a random sample.
C) a designed experiment.
D) an observational study.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This type of data collection is an observational study since the director is simply observing and recording the eating habits of the employees without manipulating any variables. There is no randomization or manipulation of variables, so it cannot be a designed experiment. It also does not involve selecting a specific number of employees for each group, so it is not a quota sample.

The Personnel Director at a Large Company Studied the Eating