1. A biology class designed a study to see whether coffee drinkers or non-coffee drinkers remember names better. 50 teachers were randomly selected. Some of the teachers who were selected drink coffee and some do not. They were given the same list of student names to study and asked to recall as many as possible.
Part A. Is this an observational study or an experiment? Explain. (2 points: 1 point for correct identification, 1 point for appropriate explanation)
Part B. The study found a positive relationship between the ability to remember names and people who regularly drink coffee. Therefore, drinking coffee helps people remember names. Is the stated conclusion reasonable? Why or why not? (2 points)
Part C. What is the population for this study? What is the sample? (2 points: 1 point for correctly identifying the population, 1 point for correctly identifying the sample)
Part D. Given the sample selected for this study, what type of bias do you think might apply? How would you suggest selecting a sample that better avoids sample bias? (4 points)
Part E. Describe how you would change this study to allow for the researchers to best make a connection between coffee drinking and the ability to recall names. Why is this better than the original study? (5 points)