Question

Use the following information to answer. The paper "Turning to Learn: Screen Orientation and Reasoning from Small Devices" (Computers in Human Behavior [2011]: \(793-797\) ) describes a study that investigated whether cell phones with small screens are useful for gathering information. The researchers wondered if the ability to reason using information read on a small screen was affected by the screen orientation. The researchers assigned 33 undergraduate students who were enrolled in a psychology course at a large public university to one of two groups at random. One group read material that was displayed on a small screen in portrait orientation, and the other group read material on the same size screen but turned to display the information in landscape orientation (see the following figure). Is the study described an observational study or an experiment?

Short answer

The described study is an experiment.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Description

The study involves researchers dividing 33 undergraduate psychology students into two groups. One group was exposed to material displayed on a small screen in portrait orientation, and the other group encountered the same material, but in landscape orientation. This is not a situation where the researchers merely observed the students - the orientation of the screen, which is the variable, was deliberately manipulated by the investigators.

Categorize the Study

Based on the evidence provided, since the researchers have purposely manipulated the variable (screen orientation) to measure its impact on the students' ability to gather information, this is an example of an experiment. In an observational study, the researchers would have only observed the students without manipulating any variables.