Which research method is used to identify cause-and-effect relationships and…

Concept

Causal identification requires more than observing that two variables move together.

A design supports a cause-and-effect inference by deliberately changing an independent variable, controlling alternative influences, and measuring the resulting change in a dependent variable.

Application

The method described in the stem must both test an explanation and isolate whether a proposed cause produces an effect. Experimental research does this by manipulating the independent variable and comparing outcomes under controlled conditions.

Contrast

• Correlational research measures association, but it does not introduce and control a treatment.

• Ethnography develops a contextual account of a culture or social group through prolonged field engagement.

• Case-study research investigates a bounded case deeply, often by combining several sources of evidence.

Cross-check

If the researcher only records variables as they occur, an observed association may still be explained by a third variable. Manipulation plus control is the distinguishing check that supports causal inference.

Result

Therefore, the research method described is experimental research.