Difference between Observational Study and Experiments PDF

Preview

Summary

Download Difference between Observational Study and Experiments PDF

Description

Difference between Observational Study and Experiments Observational Study vs Experiments In experiments, the researcher will undertake some experiment and not just make observations. In an experiment, the researcher manipulates every aspect for deriving a conclusion. In observational study, the researcher simply makes an observation and arrives at a conclusion. In observational study, no experiment is conducted, in this type of study the researcher relies more on data collected. In observational study, the researcher just observes what has happened in the past and what is happening now and draws conclusions based on these data. In experiments, the researcher observes things through various studies. In other words, it can be said that there is human intervention in experiments whereas there is no human intervention in observational study.

Here are examples for observational study and experiments that could clearly define the differences between the two.

Example of an observational study: The study to determine the relation between smoking and lung cancer is a typical example for observational study. For this the researchers collected data of both smokers and non-smokers. After this, the researchers would make observations with the help of the data and the statistics collected from each group. Summary: 1. in an experiment, the researcher will undertake some experiment and not just make observations. In observational study, the researcher simply makes an observation and arrives at a conclusion.

2. In observational study, no experiment is conducted. In this type of study the researcher

relies

more

on

data

collected.

3. There is human intervention in experiments whereas there is no human intervention in observational study.

Observational studies are ones where researchers observe the effect of a risk factor without trying to change who is or isn’t exposed to it. Cohort studies and case control studies are two types of observational studies. Cohort study: For research purposes, a cohort is any group of people who are linked in some way. For instance, a birth cohort includes all people born within a given time frame. Researchers compare what happens to members of the cohort that have been exposed to a particular variable to what happens to the other members who have not been exposed.

Case control study: Here researchers identify people with an existing health problem (“cases”) and a similar group without the problem (“controls”) and then compare them with respect to an exposure or exposures. Experimental studies Experimental studies are ones where researchers introduce an intervention and study the effects. Randomized controlled trial (RCT): Eligible people are randomly assigned to one of two or more groups. One group receives the intervention (such as a new drug) while the control group receives nothing or an inactive placebo. The researchers then study what happens to people in each group. Any difference in outcomes can then be linked to the intervention....