Question

For each of the statistical studies described indicate whether the study is an observational study or an experiment. Give a brief explanation for your choice. The article "Tots TV-Watching May Spur Attention Problems" (San Luis Obispo Tribune, April 4,2004\()\) described a study that appeared in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers looked at records of 2,500 children who were participating in a long-term health study. They found that \(10 \%\) of these children had attention disorders at age 7 and that the number of hours of television watched at ages 1 and 3 was associated with an increased risk of having an attention disorder at age 7 .

Short answer

The study described in the article 'Tots TV-Watching May Spur Attention Problems' is an observational study, as researchers merely observed and collected data without manipulating any conditions or variables.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Type of Study

In this case, researchers looked at records of 2,500 children who were participating in a long-term health study. They gathered existing data, without manipulating any factors such as the number of hours the children watched television. This indicates an observational study.

Reason for the Identification

They found that 10 percent of these children had attention disorders at age 7 and there was an association between the amount of television watched at ages 1 and 3 and the attention disorder at age 7. The researchers didn’t control or affect any variables, they only observed and analyzed the available data for possible relationships. This is a primary feature of observational studies.