Distinguish Between an Observational Study and an Experiment
-A medical researcher obtains a sample of adults suffering from diabetes. She randomly assigns 52 people to a treatment group and 52 to a placebo group. The treatment group receives a medication over a period of three months and the placebo group receives a placebo over the same time frame. At the end of three months the patients symptoms are evaluated.
A) experiment
B) observational study

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an experiment because the researcher actively assigns participants to either a treatment or placebo group and manipulates the independent variable (the medication) to observe its effect on the dependent variable (the patients' symptoms).