Determine whether the study is an observational study or an experiment. Explain. A research study compared the memory retention of subjects when a learning activity was followed by a brief period of wakeful rest and when a learning activity was followed by a brief period of distraction. The study is an experiment, because it does not apply applies

The study is an experiment, because it actively manipulates the conditions by assigning subjects to different groups: one that experiences a brief period of wakeful rest and another that experiences distraction after a learning activity. This controlled setup allows researchers to isolate the effects of each condition on memory retention, making it possible to draw causal conclusions. In contrast, if the study had simply observed subjects in their natural environments without any intervention, it would have been classified as an observational study. Experiments help establish cause-and-effect relationships, while observational studies describe relationships without direct manipulation of variables.