Exam 1: Research Methods

Question 1

What classifies as “basic research”?

Answer 1

Answers questions independent of specific products like: What affects your perception of taste? How can attitudes by changed?

Question 2

What classifies as “applied research”?

Answer 2

Answer specific questions about a product or brand like: Do people like this product? Do they understand what it is? When might they buy it?

Question 3

What is the difference between primary and secondary data sources?

Answer 3

Primary: Collected specifically for its own purpose
Secondary: Collected by an entity for one purpose and subsequently used by another for some other purpose (ex. census data)

Question 4

What are QUALITATIVE research measures?

Answer 4

Non-numeric data, descriptive and subjective in nature (ex. word association, picture, sentence completion…)

Question 5

What are QUANTITATIVE research measures?

Answer 5

Numeric data, objective in nature (ex. ratings, multiple choice questions, likert scale)

Question 6

What are the two objectives of Non-experimental research?

Answer 6

Descriptive (nature of the problem) and Correlational (are certain variables related)

Question 7

What are three different methods of non-experimental research?

Answer 7

Observational (observing people), Focus Group (6-10 people based on demographic considerations), and Survey/Interview (directly asking people for their opinions)

Question 8

What are the 3 limitations of non-experimental research?

Answer 8

Introspection cannot always tell us “why”, Memory is error-prone, and Correlation does NOT equal causation

Question 9

What is the objective of experimental research?

Answer 9

Causal, is there a cause and effect relationship?

Question 10

What are some of the methodologies to conducting experimental research?

Answer 10

• Manipulate the hypothesized cause (manipulate the IV to measure the effect on the DV)
• Always have a control/comparison group
• Use random assignment

Question 11

What are the steps for evaluating research?

Answer 11

1. What were the hypotheses, methods, results and conclusions
2. Does the research establish CAUSALITY
3. Are the findings RELIABLE
4. Is the research internally and externally VALID
5. Does the research have theoretical and practical MERIT

Question 12

What is a “third variable”?

Answer 12

A third variable that could possibly be effecting the results of the experiment by influencing one or both of the variables

Question 13

What is the difference between INTERNALLY and EXTERNALLY valid research?

Answer 13

Internal: Experiment has sound internal logic so that we test what we claim
External: Experiment reflects the real world in the way we claim

Question 14

What is a bias (in relation to the DV)?

Answer 14

When the DV is contaminated by the participant or experimenter themselves (can use a blinding procedure to help)

Question 15

What is a confound in an experiment?

Answer 15

Anything that can affect the dependent variables other than the independent variables

Question 16

What is an operationalization?

Answer 16

A specific, concrete, and quantifiable way of representing a theoretical construct in a study

Question 17

What is the difference between theoretical and practical merit?

Answer 17

Theoretical: is the question novel and interesting? are the results surprising or counterintuitive?
Practical: does this research demonstrate or articulate any useful interventions or applications for consumers, marketers, or policy makers?