Deck 4: Exploratory and Observational Research Designs and Data Collection Approaches

Question 1

Which of the following is a major advantage of in-depth interviews over focus group interviews?

A) They decrease the likelihood of participants responding in a socially desirable manner because there are no other participants to impress.
B) They allow researchers to observe the social influence process that affects consumer behavior and attitudes because group members interact with each other.
C) They eliminate the need for a trained interviewer.
D) They increase the likelihood of cross talk, thus creating synergy among participants and encouraging them to talk in detail about a topic.
E) They eliminate the need for asking probing questions.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Quantitative research is most likely to be used when:

A) the objective is to identify new ideas and thoughts for a product.
B) the main goal is to uncover unanticipated findings and reactions.
C) the objective is to understand hidden underlying psychological processes.
D) the objective is to validate relationships and test hypotheses.
E) one has access to small samples.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The objective of descriptive research is to:

A) test cause-and-effect relationships between specifically defined marketing variables.
B) explicitly define the research question and variables.
C) collect information that provides answers to research questions.
D) choose the type of individuals who will best represent the target population of interest.
E) ascertain how much detail of a behavior needs to be recorded.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In the context of data collection methods, which of the following statements is True of projective techniques?

A) They are used to monitor and analyze social media sources to provide research insights.
B) They involve recording human behavior in natural settings.
C) They rule out subjectivity.
D) They use indirect questioning methods.
E) They are primarily used in quantitative research.

Question 5

In the context of focus groups, journaling makes it possible for:

A) interviewers to push or spawn websites to participants' browsers.
B) interviewers to encourage groupthink among participants.
C) participants to have a clear understanding of what they are responding to in a study.
D) participants to avoid answering probing questions.
E) participants to provide real-time feedback.

Question 6

Which of the following is an advantage of qualitative research?

A) It allows researchers to make accurate predictions about relationships between market factors and behaviors.
B) It is considered more reliable than quantitative research.
C) It provides preliminary insights useful in developing ideas about how variables are related.
D) It eliminates the need for well-trained investigators and interviewers.
E) It allows for generalizability of research findings unlike quantitative research.

Question 7

Allen is conducting qualitative research. Which of the following is most likely to be the objective of his research?

A) To probe into subconscious consumer motivations
B) To make accurate predictions about relationships between market forces and purchase behavior
C) To validate the relationship between advertising expenses and sales volume
D) To make generalizable observations about a target population's buying behavior
E) To test a hypothesis linking coupon value to brand preference

Question 8

Unlike purposed communities, private communities are:

A) developed primarily for marketing.
B) developed primarily for research.
C) online social networks.
D) outsourced to a provider.
E) brand communities.

Question 9

Content analysis is:

A) an interviewer's ability to articulate questions in a direct and clear manner.
B) the process of collecting both attitudinal and behavioral data from a subject that spans all time frames.
C) a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and subquestions used by a moderator to lead a focus group session.
D) an interactive procedure in which a researcher and moderator discuss the subjects' responses to the topics that outlined a focus group session.
E) the systematic procedure of taking individual responses and grouping them into larger theme categories or patterns.

Question 10

Identify the first phase in the process of developing a focus group interview.

A) Conducting content analysis
B) Conducting the focus group discussions
C) Analyzing and reporting the results
D) Asking questions including follow-up probing
E) Planning the focus group study

Question 11

Purposive sampling means:

A) selecting sample members to study because they possess attributes important to understanding a research topic.
B) selecting sample members so that groups can be compared.
C) selecting sample members based on earlier interviews.
D) selecting particular types of participants because they can minimize cross talk during the discussions of a research topic.
E) selecting sample participants who can generate spontaneous discussion on a research topic.

Question 12

Who among the following is most likely to be conducting qualitative research?

A) Ricardo, who is performing a multiple regression analysis
B) Zainab, who is developing questionnaires
C) Phillip, who is conducting a census
D) Mariam, who is conducting surveys
E) Katie, who is conducting focus group interviews

Question 13

The interactive procedure in which a researcher and a moderator discuss the subjects' responses to the topics that outlined a focus group session is called:

A) content analysis.
B) sentiment analysis.
C) groupthink.
D) debriefing analysis.
E) listening post.

Question 14

A moderator's guide is:

A) an interviewer's ability to articulate questions in a direct and clear manner.
B) a note attached to the name tag of each participant.
C) a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and subquestions used by the moderator to lead a focus group session.
D) an interactive procedure in which the researcher and the moderator discuss the subjects' responses to the topics that outlined a focus group session.
E) the systematic procedure of taking individual responses and grouping them into larger theme categories or patterns of expressions.

Question 15

Which of the following statements is True of qualitative research methods?

A) Most practitioners regard qualitative research as being more reliable than quantitative research.
B) Qualitative data collection occurs over long time periods.
C) Qualitative researchers emphasize their samples are made up of representative rather than relevant consumers.
D) Qualitative researchers usually collect detailed data from relatively small samples by asking questions.
E) Qualitative research methods allow researchers to generalize findings to a larger population unlike quantitative research methods.

Question 16

Which of the following is True of quantitative research?

A) It enables researchers and clients to get closer to their customers and potential customers than does qualitative research.
B) It uses formal questions and predetermined response options in questionnaires administered to large numbers of respondents.
C) Quantitative analysis techniques cannot be applied to qualitative data.
D) It can be superior for studying topics that involve complex psychological motivations.
E) Quantitative researchers usually collect detailed data from relatively small samples, which limit a researcher's ability to generalize quantitative data to the population.

Question 17

An in-depth interview:

A) involves an extended contact with a natural setting, but without participation by a researcher.
B) involves asking a respondent a set of semistructured, probing questions in a face-to-face setting.
C) has a high likelihood of participants responding in a socially desirable manner.
D) is a formalized process of bringing a small group together for discussion on a particular topic.
E) is also called memoing.

Question 18

Which of the following is True of qualitative research methods?

A) Qualitative data may be analyzed qualitatively or quantitatively.
B) Qualitative researchers must be able to translate numerical data into meaningful narrative information.
C) Qualitative researchers seek to fit the answers of research participants into predetermined categories rather than to understand them.
D) Qualitative research is used when the objective is to validate facts.
E) Qualitative researchers emphasize their samples are made up of representative rather than relevant consumers.

Question 19

The process of selecting sample members so that groups can be compared is known as _____.

A) stratified purposive sampling
B) simple random sampling
C) convenience sampling
D) accidental sampling
E) opportunity sampling

Question 20

In the planning phase of a focus group interview, _____.

A) appropriate participants are selected and recruited
B) a moderator's guide is prepared to ensure that the actual focus group session is productive
C) a researcher debriefs all the key players involved to compare notes
D) the first topic area is introduced to the participants using a moderator's guide
E) moderators give participants exercises to help stimulate conversation

Question 21

The application of technological tools to identify, extract, and quantify subject information in textual data is called:

A) sentiment analysis.
B) scanner-based research system.
C) listening post.
D) netnography.
E) content analysis.

Question 22

Quantitative analysis techniques may be applied to qualitative data.

Question 23

Content analysis is used by quantitative researchers to create meaningful findings from focus group discussions.

Question 24

The richness of qualitative data can often supplement the facts gathered through other primary data collection techniques.

Question 25

The major advantage of projective techniques is the simplicity of interpretation.

Question 26

The major advantage of focus groups is that the reliability of the data collected is high unlike other qualitative methods.

Question 27

Groupthink is most likely to occur when participants do not have a previously well-formed opinion on issues discussed in a group.

Question 28

Online focus groups can be conducted relatively quickly because of the ease of participation and because the focus group transcript is produced automatically during the group.

Question 29

When compared with qualitative research methods, quantitative research methods, in general, can be completed relatively quickly.

Question 30

Which of the following characteristics of observation describes the degree to which a researcher or trained observer actually observes a behavior or an event as it occurs?

A) Awareness
B) Structure
C) Directness
D) Observing mechanism
E) Reference

Question 31

When successful, sentence completion tests reveal hidden aspects about individuals' thoughts and feelings toward the object(s) studied.

Question 32

Rather than focusing on one or a few cases in depth, case study research involves studying many cases superficially.

Question 33

A moderator's guide should include follow-up questions to help the moderator elicit more information.

Question 34

The optimal number of participants in face-to-face focus group interviews should range from 20 to 30 people.

Question 35

The difference between social media monitoring and private communities is that in social media research _____.

A) the sample of people interacting about a product is a self-selected sample that is representative of consumer reactions in a target market
B) the data already exists and is not created by interaction with researchers
C) the primary purpose is research
D) most companies outsource community development to a provider because of the start-up costs involved
E) researchers cannot observe people interacting with each other unprompted by the potential bias of interviewers and questions

Question 36

The use of quantitative measures of sentiment is still limited because:

A) their use requires deep engagement with one or more social media communities.
B) sentiment analysis relies on the emerging field of natural language processing.
C) most social media monitoring tools seek to seamlessly mix qualitative and quantitative analyses.
D) a large amount of data is currently unclassifiable or incorrectly classified with current automation tools.
E) researchers prefer to collect data from higher traffic forums.

Question 37

While not as extensive as traditional ethnography, mobile ethnography provides the ability for researchers to analyze consumers in context.

Question 38

In-depth interviewing increases the likelihood of participants responding in a socially desirable manner.

Question 39

_____ is an observational research technique that requires deep engagement with one or more social media communities.

A) Sugging
B) Debriefing analysis
C) Randomization
D) Netnography
E) Fugging

Question 40

The nonparticipant observation method cannot be used to obtain information on attitudes, preferences, beliefs, emotions, and similar information.

Question 41

What are the main goals of quantitative research?

Question 42

Due to advances in social media technology, social media analytics has fully replaced traditional marketing research methods.

Question 43

An advantage of social media monitoring is individuals who may not fill out surveys or agree to focus groups might nevertheless share their experiences with online social networks.

Question 44

Using PathTracker, a system that consists of RFID tags affixed to shopping carts, researchers can match purchase records with path data.

Question 45

What are some of the advantages of conducting online (instead of in-person, face-to-face) focus groups?

Question 46

Discuss the unique characteristics of observation methods.

Question 47

A major disadvantage of observation methods is that data collection takes more time and is more expensive than through other types of procedures.

Question 48

People participating in scanner-based panels have to present a unique bar-coded card at the checkout register.

Question 49

Explain word association tests and sentence completion tests.

Question 50

Describe the process of selecting an observation method.