Question

ywhat method is the best fit?
one of the goals of this unit and the ap test is to identify and select the appropriate research method for a particular research goal.

• determine whether a study is using experimental methods or non - experimental methods

directions: examine the following research goals. state a best fit and worst fit research method. make sure to explain your answer. choose from:

• experimentation
• case study
• correlation
• naturalistic observation
• meta - analysis (i.e. survey)

scenario\tbest fit (evidence)\tworst fit (evidence)
dr. swanson was just sent an inventory of a patient with an illness. the symptoms do not seem to match any known illness. dr. swanson would like to collect data on this new illness to appropriately treat and medicate the illness.
dr. knope is studying depression and alternative treatments to depression. she has a new treatment in mind that she wants to test.
experimentation would most likely be the best fit, as it allows you to control the variables. as well as allowing you to collect data on whether or not the current experiment is working/helping the patient thats being experimented on.
dr. ludgate is a high school teacher. she has focused on making sure students feel that they can always talk to her. she wants to know if the new strategies she has been trying are making students feel more comfortable.
dr. dwyer has noticed that students in the cafeteria of high school are having to wait in line for lunch for almost their whole lunch period. he wants to get data and learn more about the line system and how students are moving through the line.
naturalistic observation, in my opinion, would be a good fit for this scenario. dr. dwyer would be able to watch and examine how students move through the line, without messing with anything. as well as being unable to manipulate anything, or interventions from the observer.
mona lisa sapperstein wants to statistically analyze data from 10 different studies on laziness to determine what factors contribute to laziness.
dr. haverford believes that going out and \treating yourself\ to a new outfit makes people give better ratings on after - purchase surveys. he wants to figure out how to study and collect data.

Explanation:

1. For Dr. Swanson: A case - study is the best fit as it allows for in - depth analysis of a single patient's unique symptoms and situation. Meta - analysis is the worst fit as it involves combining data from multiple studies and is not relevant for a single patient's diagnosis.
2. For Dr. Knope: As stated, experimentation is best for testing a new treatment as it allows variable control and data collection on treatment effectiveness. Naturalistic observation is the worst fit as it does not allow for treatment manipulation or controlled testing.
3. For Dr. Ludgate: Naturalistic observation is best to observe students' natural reactions to new strategies without interference. Experimentation is the worst fit as it may change the natural behavior of students due to the experimental setup.
4. For Dr. Dwyer: Naturalistic observation is appropriate to study students' behavior in the lunch line without interference. Case study is the worst fit as it is more focused on an individual or a small group in a more in - depth, non - observational way.
5. For Mona Lisa Sapperstein: Meta - analysis is best as it involves statistically analyzing data from multiple sources to determine factors. Naturalistic observation is the worst fit as it does not involve statistical analysis of multiple data sets.
6. For Dr. Haverford: Experimentation is best as he can manipulate the variable of buying a new outfit and measure the ratings. Case study is the worst fit as it won't help in testing the causal relationship between outfit - buying and ratings.

Answer:

Scenario	Best Fit (Evidence)	Worst Fit (Evidence)
Dr. Knope	Experimentation (Control variables, test treatment)	Naturalistic Observation (No treatment manipulation)
Dr. Ludgate	Naturalistic Observation (Observe natural reactions)	Experimentation (May change natural behavior)
Dr. Dwyer	Naturalistic Observation (Observe lunch line behavior)	Case Study (Not suitable for observational study of a line)
Mona Lisa Sapperstein	Meta - Analysis (Statistical analysis of multiple data)	Naturalistic Observation (No statistical analysis of multiple data)
Dr. Haverford	Experimentation (Manipulate outfit - buying variable)	Case Study (Won't test causal relationship)