mkt research exam 2 revised quizlet

What serves as the starting point for a skip pattern in a survey?

A branching question

Which of the following question/answer combinations represents the highest level of structure for a questionnaire?

A closed-ended question with a set of standardized response options

Which of the following characteristics is NOT an advantage of the communication method of data collection?

Accuracy

Which aspect of control refers to resource issues such as time and cost of an approach?

Administrative control

Which process applies almost exclusively to longitudinal behavioral data?

Aggregating

What type of question is "How often do you eat tacos?" with response options of "not a lot," "sometimes," and "all the time!"?

Ambiguous

Which of the following rules is NOT one you would use to develop bias-free questions?

Avoid simple words

What is the rule about asking sensitive questions?

Avoid them unless they are absolutely essential to the project

Which kind of error lowers the validity or correctness of a measure?

Both systematic and random error

What is the question type that routes people to different survey items based on their responses?

Branching question

How do you develop a confidence interval?

Calculate the degree of sampling error for the particular statistic

When measuring consumer attitudes, which scale is recommended for use when there is a need to eliminate the halo effect?

Comparative-ratings scale

Which of the following recommendations for pretesting a survey is true?

Data collection should begin after pretesting.

What must you do to improve the reliability of a measure?

Decrease random error

When would the use of disguise be desirable?

Disguise is desirable in all of these circumstances. To help create a more natural environment When knowledge of the survey sponsor is likely to cause respondents to change their answers When knowledge of the survey topic is likely to cause respondents to change their answers

In which observation method are the people being observed unaware that they are being observed?

Disguised

What are the recommendations for pretesting a questionnaire?

Do a pretest among respondents similar to those who will be used in the actual study Do a personal interview to pretest Have different members of the research team answer the questions

Which method of cleaning the data file involves two separate people entering data into two separate files for comparison?

Double-entry

Which of the following strategies for dealing with missing data is rarely recommended for use?

Eliminate the case with the missing item(s) from all further analysis

Unstructured observation is much more likely to be used in which kind of research?

Exploratory

Which method of mechanical observation could tell a researcher which section of a store shelf captured consumers' attention most frequently?

Eye camera

What kind of question should a researcher ask to determine whether a respondent is likely to have the information the survey is designed to collect?

Filtering question

What is a highly structured question or questionnaire NOT ideal for?

Getting primary data about motivations

What kind of measure works well when just an overall, summary judgment of how consumers feel about a company is needed?

Global measure

What type of itemized-rating scale might be best for use measuring the attitude of children who may not be able to read or comprehend attribute descriptions?

Graphic-ratings scale

Which of the following are considerations for how observations can be made?

In either natural or contrived settings Either as disguised or undisguised observations Using either structured or unstructured methods

Which type of control involves the amount, type, and quality of information that can be retrieved from respondents?

Information control

Which type of scale is commonly used in marketing research for measuring consumer attitudes?

Interval

What is true about the use of disguise when administering a questionnaire?

It amounts to a conscious effort to deceive the respondent. When used, respondents should be given a debriefing after the task. The amount of disguise and debriefing necessary is a judgment call on the researcher's part.

What is true about a ratio scale?

It can be used to compare intervals, rank objects by magnitude, or use numbers to identify objects. It includes the properties possessed by less powerful scales. It is the most powerful scale.

Advantage(s) of using the observation method of collecting data include(s) which of the following?

It does not depend on a respondent's memory

What is true about frequency analysis?

It involves counting the number of responses that fall into various response categories.

What is true about target information?

It is more critical than classification information. It should be obtained first. It refers to the key issues being studied.

Which method of observation is ideal if concerns exist about interference from outside influences while making the observations?

Laboratory setting

A researcher is examining data from a study and sees a variable named "PUR_FREQ" with responses ranging from 0 to 10. How can the researcher understand what this data means?

Look at the codebook

In hypothesis testing, if the consequences of an error are particularly bad, what should be done in the testing process?

Lower the significance (alpha) level of the test

Which method of collecting primary data via communication cannot be projected to the overall population because the sample is nonrandom?

Mall intercepts

Which of the following is NOT a commonly used descriptive statistic?

Margin of sampling error

What issue must you keep in mind when calculating and using mean values?

Mean values are only meaningful for continuous measures. Using decimals with percentages for mean values may suggest precision that isn't justified. Outliers or extreme cases can have a strong influence on mean values

What descriptive statistic is a better measure of central tendency when there are outliers in a distribution?

Median

What process will a researcher use to build a data file using data from multiple sources, and in different software formats, with different identifiers?

Merging

Which of the following is NOT one of the four scales (levels) of measurement?

Normal

Which method of collecting primary data is quite inexpensive, compared to other methods, and provides very quick turnaround?

Online surveys

What is the most difficult type of item to code?

Open-ended exploratory items

Which of the following statements about highly structured questions is NOT true?

Open-ended responses must be interpreted

Which method of administering a questionnaire involves direct, face-to-face communication between a researcher and a respondent?

Personal interview

Which method of collecting primary data via communication allows the sequence of questions to be changed by the researcher?

Personal interviews

Which of the following are advantages of using higher levels of structure in an observational study?

Reduced potential for bias Increased reliability of observations Simplified and less costly coding and analysis of data

Which of the following statements represents an advantage of a using contrived (lab) setting for observations over a natural setting?

Researchers can control outside influences

What is the risk of asking questions on a survey that are difficult to answer?

Respondents may refuse to complete the survey Respondents may ignore the question. Respondents may give an approximate answer.

What type of error does the confidence interval take into account?

Sampling error

What is the first step in the method for developing an effective questionnaire?

Specify what information will be sought

Which approach to handling missing data may use a statistical technique known as regression analysis?

Substituting values for the missing items

Which of the following is NOT a type of response error?

Syntax error

What kind of error is the tendency for a respondent to remember an event as having occurred more recently than it did?

Telescoping error

What is true about the editing process for data?

The basic purpose of editing is to make certain that raw data meets minimum quality standards.

Which of the following statements about the codebook are true?

The codebook explains how missing data are treated in the file. The codebook describes each variable and how it is coded. The codebook contains variable names and sources of data.

A researcher wishes to analyze retail store scanner data from a number of stores over a period of several months. What must happen to make the analysis possible?

The data must first be aggregated.

What decision must you make when collecting data using communication?

The degree of structure to use Whether to disguise the questionnaire Which method to use

Which of the following best describes the hypothesis testing situation when the p-value associated with the test statistic is lower than the chosen significance level?

The null hypothesis is rejected.

How do marketing researchers define the term "measurement?"

The process of assigning numbers Determining the properties of an object's attributes Measuring the attributes of an object, not the object itself

What problem, if any, is there with a closed-ended question asking for annual income with response options that include "Less than $20,000," "$20,000-$40,000," "$40,000-$60,000," and "$60,000 or more"?

The response categories are not mutually exclusive.

In a survey item that asks about customer satisfaction and uses a response scale from 1 to 7, what does "customer satisfaction" represent from a coding perspective?

The variable

Why might a researcher use a disguise in a questionnaire?

To hide the sponsor of the research

Which of the following statements describes how frequency analysis is used?

To identify the median point for the distribution To help determine the degree of item nonresponse To help locate outliers in the data

What is the goal of hypothesis testing?

To indicate which of two mutually exclusive hypotheses is more likely to be true

A continuous measure of customer satisfaction uses a scale from 1 to 5 where 4 = Satisfied and 5 = Very Satisfied. Presenting the percentage of respondents who checked either 4 or 5 as a response in a combined measurement category is which technique?

Two-box

Which method of observation should be avoided if concerns exist about people behaving differently under observation?

Undisguised

What is the type of analysis that is done on a variable in isolation?

Univariate

What is the recommended way to code a closed-ended, "check all that apply" question?

Use a separate variable for each response option and code "1" if the response was selected or "0" if it wasn't

What decisions must be made when designing scales?

Whether to use an even or odd number of scale positions How many scale positions to use Whether to use a global or composite scale

What is the first of several important decisions to make when collecting data through observation?

Whether to use structured or unstructured observation

All of the following are mechanical approaches to recording observation except for which one?

Written field notes

What is true about the types of scales used to measure an attribute?

You should always use the highest level of measurement possible.

What is true about determining the content of individual questions?

You want to capture the needed data using as few questions as possible.

What can be measured using observation?

behavior

Office errors that occur during the editing or coding process that must be cleaned are called

blunders

The two, basic means of obtaining primary data are

communication and observation

What type of observation involves watching the actual activity?

direct

The aspect of study design concerned with the amount of knowledge that people have about a study in which they are participating is

disguise

Converting survey responses of "1 year" and "16 weeks" to a consistent length of time, for example, months, represents which process?

editing

A disadvantage of high structure is that it greatly complicates data coding and analysis.

false

An advantage of the natural setting for conducting observations is that you don't have to wait for events to occur so that you can observe them.

false

As systematic and/or random error increases, so does the validity of a measure.

false

Coding is the process of transforming symbols into raw data.

false

Even when you believe that most respondents should have an opinion, you should include a "don't know" response category when designing a scale.

false

Graphic-rating scales consist of pairs of bipolar words or phrases that can be used to describe the attitude object.

false

In a highly structured questionnaire, the questions to be asked and the response categories provided are completely randomized.

false

Including one or more sensitive questions in a survey rarely affects the willingness of respondents to cooperate.

false

Mean values can be calculated for, and are meaningful for, any variable in a data set.

false

Structuring observations increases the potential for bias and decreases the reliability of observations

false

The administrative control disadvantages of online surveys are significant compared to other methods of administering questionnaires.

false

The funnel approach helps prevent problems with response order bias.

false

The process of merging data is relatively simple when the data comes from multiple sources.

false

The typical questionnaire aims to collect two types of information: target information and communication information.

false

When seeking answers from the general public, questions should be worded for comprehension by a person with a college education.

false

When designing a scale to assess attitude, what is the minimum number of response categories that should be included?

five

Sequencing questions by starting broadly and progressively narrowing the scope is known as the

funnel approach.

The process of combining data from different sources into a single database is known as

merging

The confidence interval is the ______ within which the true proportion or mean for the _______ will fall.

range, population

When a questionnaire uses fixed-alternative questions, that questionnaire is said to be

structured

The Likert scale is a widely-used scale in marketing research, and is also known as a

summated-ratings scale

Information about the key issues being studied is known as

target information.

A hypothesis can be rejected, but it can never be accepted completely.

true

A pretest is the most inexpensive insurance you can buy to ensure the success of a project.

true

An observer's presence is often disguised in order to control the tendency of people to behave differently when they are being watched

true

Communication involves questioning respondents to get the information you need using a questionnaire

true

Data aggregation must be accompanied by careful data coding so analysts will understand what the numbers represent.

true

During the editing process, you must decide what to do about cases with incomplete data.

true

If Red Bull asks consumers to take an online survey, and the Red Bull logo is on the survey web page, the survey is undisguised.

true

If the sample mean for a variable is 7.2, and the margin of sampling error is 1, then the confidence interval ranges from 6.2 to 8.2.

true

It's not possible to observe an attitude or opinion, a person's awareness or knowledge, or motivation.

true

Observation is often more useful than surveys in sorting fact from fiction with respect to behaviors.

true

One of the most important methods of mechanical observation is the bar-code scanner.

true

Recall loss and telescoping error work in opposite directions.

true

Researchers can do frequency analysis on any variable in a study.

true

The advantage of branching questions is that it allows respondents to skip irrelevant questions.

true

The first question to answer before doing data analysis is to determine whether variables will be analyzed in isolation or in relation to one or more other variables.

true

The first step in measuring some attribute is to determine the properties of the attribute.

true

The properties of the attribute being measured determine which levels of measurement are possible.

true

The use of disguise amounts to a conscious effort to deceive the respondent.

true

When building a codebook, one standard is to use only numeric codes, not letters or special characters.

true

When there are lots of missing items, researchers should question the whole research effort and critically review the objectives and procedures.

true

With paper-based surveys, there is no opportunity for interviewer bias from the wording of questions or the way questions are asked.

true