Question

Exercises 5–8 refer to the study of an association between which ear is used for cell phone calls and whether the subject is left-handed or right-handed. The study is reported in “Hemispheric Dominance and Cell Phone Use,” by Seidman et al., JAMA Otolaryngology— Head & Neck Surgery, Vol. 139, No. 5. The study began with a survey e-mailed to 5000 people belonging to an otology online group, and 717 surveys were returned. (Otology relates to the ear and hearing.)

Experiment or Observational Study Is the study an experiment or an observational study? Explain

Short answer

The study is referred to as an observational study.

Step-by-step solution

Given information

The study aims to determine the association between the ear used while taking calls and the left or rightness of subjects.

The responses are collected through a survey on e-mail to 5000 online group members, getting 717 responses.

Step 2:Mode of acquiring responses

The key difference between an experiment and an observational study is the application of treatments. Experiments use certain treatments for gathering responses, while observational study gathers the same through simple observation.

Step 3:Making a decision in the context of the study

The study is an observational study as it does not use any factors or treatments for gathering responses. It simply sends e-mails to the group members and records the responses.

Thus, the study is an observational study.