A study compares the effect on college students of two different TV advertisements for spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Call the ads "Ad #1" and "Ad #2." We want to know which ad makes more students want to visit Gulf Shores during spring break. The subjects are 90 students taking a course in hotel management. The design of the study looks like this: The statistical name for this study design is
A) simple random sample.
B) stratified random sample.
C) randomized comparative experiment.
D) systematic sample.
E) observational study.

Question

A study compares the effect on college students of two different TV advertisements for spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Call the ads "Ad #1" and "Ad #2." We want to know which ad makes more students want to visit Gulf Shores during spring break. The subjects are 90 students taking a course in hotel management. The design of the study looks like this:  The statistical name for this study design is
A) simple random sample. 
B) stratified random sample. 
C) randomized comparative experiment. 
D) systematic sample. 
E) observational study.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This study design is a randomized comparative experiment because the subjects are split into two groups (one exposed to Ad #1 and one exposed to Ad #2) and the effect on each group is compared. The study is not a simple random sample because the students were not selected randomly from the population of all college students or all potential Gulf Shores visitors. It is not a stratified random sample because the students were not divided into specific groups based on some characteristic before being selected. It is not a systematic sample because there is no rule for selecting students (such as every nth student) and it is not an observational study because the researchers are actively manipulating the independent variable (the type of advertisement).

A Study Compares the Effect on College Students of Two