Unobtrusively, Dr. Jones and two of her students record the willingness of boys and girls to volunteer for an elephant ride or a donkey ride at the local zoo. Jones is using:
A) unethical research practices.
B) experimental research methods.
C) meta-analysis.
D) descriptive research methods.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Dr. Jones is using descriptive research methods because she is observing and recording behavior without manipulating any variables. This type of research is used to describe behavior and situations, rather than determining cause-and-effect relationships, which experimental research methods focus on. Unethical research practices would involve violating ethical guidelines, which is not evident in this situation. Meta-analysis involves analyzing and combining data from multiple studies to draw conclusions, which is not relevant in this scenario.