Question

Researchers conducted a study and determined that students who carpool have less friends than students who ride the bus to school. Can we conclude that carpooling causes students to have less friends?
A: Yes, this is an observational study and we can conclude causation
B: No, this is an observational study and we cannot conclude causation
C: No, this is a controlled experiment and we cannot conclude causation
D: Yes, this is a controlled experiment and we can conclude causation

Answer 1

Answer:

B: No, this is an observational study and we cannot conclude causation      

Explanation:          

Observational study: In psychological research, the term observational study is defined as a non-experimental yet an empirical investigation lead by the researchers related to the effects being caused by a specific treatment.

An observational study is one of the types of correlational studies in which an experimenter or researcher tends to observe the behaviour of the subjects or participants.

An observational study does not prove or conclude causation because correlational studies can only determine the relationship between two different variables but can not prove or show causation which is being done by experimental studies.