To test the effects of breakfast on grades I ask my students if they ate breakfast and then compare the breakfast eaters grades to the non-breakfast eaters.
This is an example of:
Observational study
Experiment
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is Observational study.
In an observational study, researchers observe and collect data on subjects without manipulating any variables. In this case, you’re simply asking students if they ate breakfast and comparing their grades based on their responses. There is no intervention or treatment being applied to the students; you’re only observing the existing behavior (whether they ate breakfast or not) and measuring the outcome (grades). This is characteristic of an observational study, where the researcher doesn’t influence the factors but rather observes natural variations to draw conclusions.
In contrast, an experiment would involve actively manipulating one or more variables to test their effect. For instance, if you provided breakfast to some students and not others and then compared their grades, this would be an experiment because you are controlling the breakfast variable and testing its effect on grades.
In an observational study like the one described, you might observe a correlation between eating breakfast and higher grades, but correlation does not imply causation. There could be other factors at play, such as study habits, sleep patterns, or socioeconomic status, that also influence both breakfast consumption and academic performance. Therefore, while you can identify patterns, you cannot conclusively say that eating breakfast causes better grades without conducting a more controlled experiment.
Observational studies are useful for identifying trends and generating hypotheses, but to prove causality, experimental research would be needed.