Question

Data were collected in twenty major urban cities on the percent of women in the labor force. Some cities had female mayors while others had male mayors and researchers were interested in the impact that may have on employment statistics. Data for each city were collected in 1968 and again in 1972. The changes in percent for each city were the basis for discussing whether or not there had been an increase in percent of women in the labor force over the period. What kind of design was this? I. A matched-pairs design II. A randomized block design III. An observational study

Answer 1

The study in question is an observational study as it involved observing the subject without direct intervention, typical in cases where researchers measure outcomes under existing conditions.

Therefore, the correct answer is: option III). An observational study

Step-by-step explanation:

Observational studies are research studies in which researchers collect information from participants or look at data that was already collected.

Therefore, the design of the study described, where data were collected in twenty major urban cities on the percent of women in the labor force, and the changes in percent for each city were compared from 1968 to 1972, can be categorized as an observational study.

In this type of study, researchers observe the subject without intervening directly. Since the cities naturally had either female or male mayors, and no random assignment or matching was employed, it does not constitute a matched-pairs design or randomized block design.

Instead, researchers observed the existing conditions and measured the outcome, which is typical of an observational study.