Dr. Piro knesis stages a fire drill at the elementary school in order to study how children respond to potential emergency situations. Dr. Knesis's method would best be described as a (n)

Dr. Knesis's method would best be described as a "structured observation".

Structured observation is an information gathering strategy in which analysts accumulate information without coordinate contribution with the members (the scientists watch from a far distance) and the gathering method is organized in a very much characterized and procedural way. It enables scientists to gather information that couldn't be gathered utilizing ordinary research techniques like reviews and meetings. Structured observation utilizes a coding technique for information accumulation.