Q 13. - Elementary Statistics

Question

Persistent Poverty and IQ.  An article appearing in an issue of the Arizona Republic reported on a study conducted by G. Duncan of the University of Michigan. According to the report, "Persistent poverty during the first 5 years of life leaves children with IQs 9.1 points lower at age 5 than children who suffer no poverty during that period...." Is this statistical study an observational study or is it a designed experiment? Explain your answer.

Step-by-Step Solution

Answer

The given study is an observational study.

Step 1. Given information.

The given statement is:

Children who experience persistent poverty during the first five years of their life have IQs 9.1 points lower than children who do not experience poverty.

Step 2. Classify the given study as either an observational study or a designed experiment.

We can observe from the given study that the researcher has not performed any experiments in this study.

He had only observed the behavior and then provided the conclusion that children who experience persistent poverty during their first five years of life have IQs 9.1 points lower than children who do not experience poverty during this time.

Therefore we can conclude that it is an observational study.