A natural experiment is an empirical study ________.
A) in which the predictions of the model are not required to be tested with data
B) that can only be used to understand natural phenomena and is widely used in subjects such as physics and biology
C) in which the researcher assigns subjects to the control and treatment groups to verify a cause-effect relationship
D) in which some process, outside the control of the experimenter, has assigned subjects to the control and treatment groups in a random or nearly random way

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A natural experiment is one in which the subjects are assigned to the control and treatment groups by some natural process, outside the control of the researcher, in a random or nearly random way. This allows for a comparison of the outcomes between the groups and the inference of causality. Options A and B are incorrect as the predictions of the model need to be tested with data, and natural experiments are not limited to specific subjects such as physics and biology. Option C refers to a controlled experiment, not a natural experiment.

A Natural Experiment Is an Empirical Study ________