researchers periodically survey a few thousand of the patients taking a certain medication in order to make…
researchers periodically survey a few thousand of the patients taking a certain medication in order to make connections between that medication and the subjects general health. this method of gathering data is classified as\n\na census.\n\na sample survey.\n\nan experiment.\n\nan observational study.
Answer
Brief Explanations:
A census involves collecting data from an entire population. Here, only a few thousand patients (a subset of all patients taking the medication) are surveyed, so it's not a census. An experiment involves manipulating variables. Since no variable is being manipulated - just surveying patients - it's not an experiment. A sample survey is a general way of gathering data from a subset of a population, but an observational study is more specific when the goal is to observe and make connections between variables (medication and general health here). The researchers are just observing and surveying, not interfering with the subjects' treatment or conditions.
Answer:
an observational study.