Question 1

The Bureau of the Census reported that a more accurate estimate of the total population in the U.S. could be accomplished by a carefully selected sample, rather than with a census. What broad classification of errors is the researcher indirectly alluding to?

Accepted Answer

C

Question 2

Collecting information such as consumer demographics and lifestyle characteristics would be illustrative of which reason for the high usage of surveys in marketing research?

Accepted Answer

Collecting consumer demographics and lifestyle characteristics helps in identifying who does certain things, such as purchasing certain products or services. This information is useful for market segmentation and targeting specific consumer groups.

Question 3

In the pretesting of a questionnaire, a researcher finds that respondents perceive several of the questions as leading, and others as difficult to understand. If the researcher does not make the necessary revisions to the questionnaire, there will probably be a large amount of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

If the researcher does not make revisions to the questionnaire, there will likely be measurement instrument bias, as the questions may not accurately measure what they are intended to measure due to their flaws.

Question 4

A marketing researcher subcontracts the data collection process to a field services firm. After the data is collected, the researcher is editing the questionnaires, and finds a large number of mistakes. In many cases skip patterns were not followed, and difficult questions were often skipped. The researcher contacts several of the persons that did the interviewing and finds that they received little, and in some cases, no training or supervision. What kind of error is evident here?

Accepted Answer

The errors indicate interviewer error or bias, as the interviewers did not follow skip patterns and difficult questions were skipped. This may have resulted from the lack of training and supervision provided to the interviewers by the field services firm.

Question 5

When a researcher uses an incomplete sampling frame for a study, this is referred to as __________.

Accepted Answer

When a researcher uses an incomplete sampling frame for a study, it is referred to as a frame error. This means that the sampling frame does not include all of the elements that should be included in the sample, leading to potential bias in the study results. Surrogate information error and selection error refer to different types of errors that can occur in sampling, but they do not specifically relate to incomplete sampling frames.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a sampling design error?

Accepted Answer

Interviewer error is not a sampling design error; it is related to the data collection process rather than the design of the sample.

Question 7

A researcher hired 20 interviewers to conduct door-to-door interviews in a particular city. In the process of verifying the responses for one of the interviewers, the researcher found that the interviewer surveyed consecutive houses in a particular subdivision, instead of selecting every third house. What kind of error has occurred here?

Accepted Answer

The interviewer did not follow the appropriate selection procedure (selecting every third house), resulting in a selection bias.

Question 8

A questionnaire that is not computer coded, thereby increasing the complexity of inputting the questionnaire data into a database, will probably suffer from which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Processing error is the most likely issue that would arise when inputting data from a non-computer coded questionnaire. This is because manual data entry is more prone to typos, errors, or misinterpretations, leading to inaccurate data being entered into the database. Interviewer error, surrogate information error, and measurement instrument bias are all related to issues with the questionnaire design or administration, rather than data input.

Question 9

The fact that not every household has a published phone number can cause which type of error in telephone surveys?

Accepted Answer

Not having a published phone number can lead to a sample frame error because individuals without a phone number would not be included in the sample and therefore may not be represented in the survey results.

Question 10

When survey respondents deliberately falsify their income this is known as which type of bias?

Accepted Answer

Falsifying income is a type of response bias, which refers to when respondents provide inaccurate or misleading responses to survey questions.

Question 11

_____________ results from mistakes or problems in the research design.

Accepted Answer

Systematic error, also called bias, occurs when there are flaws in the design or implementation of the research study that lead to consistent deviations from the true value of the population parameter being measured. It is different from random error, which is due to chance and leads to fluctuations in the data. Processing error and interviewer error are specific types of systematic error, while option E is incorrect as at least one option is correct.

Question 12

Non-response bias results from a systematic difference between those who do and those who do not_____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Non-response bias results from a systematic difference...

Question 13

A manufacturer of desserts tested a new five-minute dessert on working females. A marketing research firm was employed to measure consumer response to the dessert. The results of the survey were dismal. The manufacturer was sure the new quickie dessert would be appealing to working females. A follow-up focus group revealed that working females without children were not interested in the new idea, but working females with children were. What kind of error was evident in the initial survey?

Accepted Answer

The error evident in the initial survey is a population specification error because the sample only included working females but did not specify if they had children or not, leading to an inaccurate representation of the target population's interests.

Question 14

Which of the following is not a reason surveys have a high rate of usage in marketing research?

Accepted Answer

Surveys are not effective in determining cause and effect relationships because they are based on self-reported data and cannot account for all variables that may impact a particular outcome. Other research methods such as experiments are better suited for establishing cause and effect relationships.

Question 15

The difference between the sample value and the true value in the population under study is referred to as _______.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The difference between the sample value and...

Question 16

This type of sample design error can occur even when the population is correctly specified and a proper sample frame is being used.

Accepted Answer

Selection error occurs when the sampling method used does not properly represent the target population, even though the population and sample frame were correctly identified. This can result in biased estimates and inaccurate conclusions.

Question 17

When the researcher achieves a very low response rate, he/she should be concerned with ______________.

Accepted Answer

A low response rate can result in nonresponse bias, as the characteristics of nonrespondents may be different from those of respondents, leading to skewed or inaccurate results. Surrogate information error and measurement instrument bias are not directly related to response rate, and refusal rate error may be a contributing factor to a low response rate but is not the main concern.

Question 18

At which point do people typically refuse to take a survey?

Accepted Answer

People typically refuse to take a survey before the introduction because they are not interested or do not want to give their time.

Question 19

The fact that people in their twenties are more technology savvy than those over the age of forty should be taken into account when determining the population for a survey about new social media options to avoid________________.

Accepted Answer

Population specification error occurs when the chosen population for a survey is not representative of the target population. In this case, if the survey is conducted only among people over the age of forty, it may not accurately reflect the opinions and behaviors of younger generations who are more technology savvy. Therefore, it is important to consider the age factor and choose a representative sample population to avoid population specification error.

Question 20

A researcher placed interviewers at multiple entrances and exits to a mall and asked them to interview a wide sample of mall visitors including parents, couples, and singles. In the process of verifying the responses, the researcher found that one interviewer only sampled mothers with children. The interviewer noted that only mothers with young children entered via his entrance. What kind of error has occurred here?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher placed interviewers at multiple entrances...

Quiz 5: Traditional Survey Research