Question

For the following assess whether each study is considered an experiment (and if it is, whether true or quasi) and explain why/why not.

Some literature concerning student behaviors in college found higher incidence of risky behavior among members of fraternal social organizations. A researcher wants to find out the effect of membership in fraternity or sorority on drinking behaviors and hypothesizes that membership causes students to drink heavily, pressured by upperclassmen. The researcher recruits a total of 100 undergraduate students in the study and randomly assigns each subject into one of the two groups. The experimental group is given memberships to organizations (within subjects’ college) and the control group of 50 is not. The researcher will be monitoring drinking behavior for a year, through an online, weekly questionnaire.     

Answer 1

It is an experimental research .
In non experimental research, researcher cannot control or manipulate the predictor variable or subjects, but instead, relies on interpretation, observation and correlation to come to a conclusion.

But in this case ,variables that is fraternal social groups are assigned with much precision and control to only 50 subjects while 50 others are devoid of membership of fraternal group.
Moreover, this is also not a quasi experimental research because in quasi , random assignment is not possible while in the above research subjects are randomly assigned to control and treatment groups of 50 each.