Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies

question 107

Multiple Choice

Explain the Various Types of Observational Studies
-A researcher wanted to determine whether colon cancer was associated with eating meat. He selected a sample of 500 men with colon cancer and an equal number of men without colon cancer. The two groups were matched - in other words they were similar in terms of age, occupation, income, and exercise levels. Histories on the amount of meat consumed over the previous twenty years were obtained for all men. The total amount of meat that each man eaten in the previous twenty years was estimated. The meat consumption was compared for the two groups.

• A) retrospective; Individuals are asked to look back in time
• B) cross-sectional; Information is collected at a specific point in time.
• C) cohort; Individuals are observed over a long period of time.

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Definitions:

Schema

A mental structure or idea that aids in categorizing and understanding information in the brain.

Preoperational Stage

A developmental phase, outlined by Jean Piaget, where children from about 2 to 7 years old engage in symbolic play and struggle with logic and taking the perspective of others.

Conservation

A cognitive ability recognized by Jean Piaget that allows a person to determine that a quantity will remain the same despite adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed or heard.