Recent reports have suggested that children who play soccer may sustain brain injury resulting from repeated hits to the head by the soccer ball.What methodology would you recommend to investigate the claim that children who play soccer have more brain injuries?
A) An experimental study in which one group plays soccer for a semester and a second comparable group plays basketball and then the groups are compared for the number of brain injuries.
B) An ex post facto study, which compares brain injuries for two pre-existing groups one who has played soccer and another group who has been in a sport like swimming where they were not routinely hit in the head.
C) A survey of parents whose children have played soccer.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An ex post facto study would be the best methodology to investigate this claim. It would compare brain injuries for two pre-existing groups, one who has played soccer and another group who has been in a sport like swimming where they were not routinely hit in the head. This provides a more naturalistic analysis of the relationship between soccer and brain injuries, without the potential confounding factors of an experimental study or the limited information from a survey.

Recent Reports Have Suggested That Children Who Play Soccer May