Question

Each of 150 volunteers was assigned at random to one of five rooms where they were asked to taste and rate a glass of wine. In one of the rooms, no music was playing and a different style of music was playing in each of the other four rooms. The researchers concluded that cabernet sauvignon is perceived as being richer and more robust when bold music is played than when no music is heard.

Required:
a. Is the study described an observational study or an experiment?
b. Can a case be made for the researcher's conclusion that the music played was the cause for the higher rating? Explain.

Answer 1

a. Experiment

b. yes

Explanation:

The study being conducted in this scenario is an experiment because different groups are being created and both an independant variable and dependant variable are being introduced. This means that there is researcher involvement and therefore makes this an experiment and not an observational study.

Yes, a case can be made for such a claim. This is because the music being played is the dependent variable in each of the groups. Meaning that the only difference in each of the groups was the music. Therefore, any differences in the data gathered can be connected to the music.