Question

8.Study Type: For each of the following situations state whether the research is an observational study or a designed experiment. Explain your reasoning for your answer.

A) Recall Problem #3, in Grand Haven, Michigan, the speed limit on Mercury Drive is 45 mph. Residents with a driveway leading out to the road often complain that traffic tends to exceed 45 mph. A traffic engineer installs a device that records the speed of each car that passes a certain point on Mercury Drive during a two- week period.

Answer 1

The following is a case of an observational study.

An observational study is where there is no interference or treatment with the sample. They are only observed and based on these observations, deductions are made.

An experiment is one, where a treatment is administered or changes are made, then the observations are taken and deduction are made.

Here by keeping a speed recording device, the police officer is not actually interfering with the vehicles passing, but only taking their speed readings to validate the claims made by the residents. Based on these readings they would act accordingly. Hence this is a case of an observational Study.