Questions: Midterm Review

Question 1

Which of the following is TRUE about exploratory research?

A) It usually consists of large-scale research projects
B) Its main goal is to understand cause and effect relationships
C) It often relies on qualitative methods
D) It usually relies on large mail surveys

Answer 1

C) It often relies on qualitative methods

*Exploratory research is research conducted for a problem that has not been studied more clearly, intended to establish priorities, develop operational definitions and improve the final research design.

Question 2

Which of the following are common techniques of exploratory research?

A) Focus Groups
B) Pilot Surveys
C) Depth Interviews
D) All of the Above

Answer 2

D) All of the Above

*Exploratory Research often relies on QUALITATIVE methods

Question 3

Generally, secondary data research is a form of:

A) Exploratory Research
B) Descriptive Research
C) Casual Research
D) Qualitative Research

Answer 3

A) Exploratory Research

*Exploratory research often relies on techniques such as secondary research and formal/informal qualitative approaches

Question 4

Which choice is FALSE regarding exploratory research?

A) It typically aims at providing insights
B) It typically aims at describing the market in detail
C) It typically aims at producing new ideas
D) It typically aims at increasing out understanding of the topic

Answer 4

B) It typically aims at describing the market in detail

*Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data-collection method and selection of subjects. It should draw definitive conclusions only with extreme caution

Question 5

Descriptive research usually relies on?

A) Small Samples
B) Psychological Trained Moderators
C) Representative Samples
D) The Availability of Databases

Answer 5

C) Representative Samples

• Descriptives Research is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied
• A representative sample is a small quantity of something that accurately reflects the larger entity

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of descriptive research?

A) Pilot Survey
B) Depth Interview
C) Unrepresentative Survey
D) Representative Survey

Answer 6

D) Representative Survey

• Descriptives Research is used to describe characteristics of a population or phenomenon being studied
• A representative sample is a small quantity of something that accurately reflects the larger entity

Question 7

An example of causal research is:

A) Survey
B) Focus Group
C) Depth Interview
D) Market Test

Answer 7

D) Market Test

• Causal research, also called explanatory research, is the investigation of (research into) cause-and-effect relationships
• Market Test uses a group to gauge the viability of type of research prior to a wide scale roll-out.

Question 8

A market test may be used to evaluate:

A) The possible effects of a marketing strategy
B) The possible positioning for a concept
C) The characteristics of a target market
D) Consumer motivations for choosing a brand

Answer 8

A) The possible effects of a marketing strategy

*Market test uses a group to gauge the viability of a product or service in the mass market prior to a wide scale roll-out.

Question 9

Census data is an example of:

A) Qualitative Data
B) Internal Secondary Data
C) External Secondary Data
D) Internal Primary Data

Answer 9

C) External Secondary Data

*External Secondary Data is existing data that has already been collected by other organizations

Question 10

Which choice is FALSE regarding longitudinal data?

A) It’s collected by using special samples called panels
B) It relies on the repeated measurement of the same respondents
C) It’s useful to analyze dynamic aspects of consumer behavior
D) It’s generally more representative than cross-sectional data

Answer 10

D) It’s generally more representative than cross-sectional data

• Longitudinal Data is a research design that involves repeated observations of the same variables (e.g., people) over long periods of time, often many decades
• Cross-Sectional Data is a type of data collected by observing many subjects (such as individuals, firms, countries, or regions) at the same point of time, or without regard to differences in time.

Question 11

Quantitative and qualitative research differ from each other because:

A) Unlike qualitative research, quantitative research relies on numerical measures
B) Qualitative research is typical of exploratory projects
C) Qualitative research requires a high degree of subjective interpretation
D) All of the above

Answer 11

D) All of the above

• Qualitative Research is primarily exploratory research. It is used to gain an understanding of underlying motivations. It provides insights into the problem or helps to develop ideas or hypotheses for potential quantitative research.
• Quantitative Research is used to quantify the problem by way of generating data that can be transformed into usable statistics. It is used to quantify defined variables – and generalize results from a larger sample population.

Question 12

When you collect data for the specific purpose of using it to answer a new question, your data is called:

A) Primary
B) Secondary
C) Exploratory
D) Qualitative

Answer 12

A) Primary

*Primary Data Data is observed or collected directly from first-hand experience.

Question 13

For your qualitative data to be valid, you must ensure that:

A) Your sample of respondents is representative of your market
B) Your sample of respondents is typical of your market
C) The data is analyzed statistically
D) The data contains no errors

Answer 13

B) Your sample of respondents is typical of your market

*Qualitative data is generally collected in the context of exploratory research. The need to maintain cost and scale of exploratory research down make it impossible to set up a representative sample.

Question 14

Your company conducts a new survey every year. Before designing the guidelines for the new one, you always examine the results you had in the last 2 years. From your current point of view, the surveys you conducted in the last two years are an example of?

A) Secondary data
B) Primary data
C) Internal secondary data
D) Internal primary data

Answer 14

C) Internal secondary data

*Internal secondary data has already been generated and/or collected by a business during its normal course of activity.

Question 15

Which of the following are examples of syndicated data?

A) The retail index
B) Data from a consumer diary panel
C) Data from a media panel
D) All of the above

Answer 15

D) All of the above

*Syndicated Data is a research funded by market research companies and the results of such research is made available to everyone who wishes to purchase it.

Question 16

Syndicated data is collected about, and potentially sold to:

A) A single company in an industry
B) All major companies within an industry
C) A client who requests a report
D) Advertising agencies only

Answer 16

B) All major companies within an industry

*Syndicated Data is a research funded by market research companies and the results of such research is made available to everyone who wishes to purchase it.

Question 17

Syndicated retail index data DO NOT supply information about:

A) Sales for the industry, in units and $, by brand
B) Measures of distribution efficiency for each brand
C) Consumer liking scores over time, for each brand
D) Base prices and promoted prices, by brand

Answer 17

C) Consumer liking scores over time, for each brand

Question 18

In syndicated retail index data, distribution efficiency for a brand is indicated by:

A) Sales force cost, by store
B) Sales force cost, by percentage point of total distribution
C) Proportion of all stores that carry a brand, compared to the proportion for competitors
D) Brand presence in the stores that account for the greatest proportion of total retail sales

Answer 18

D) Brand presence in the stores that account for the greatest proportion of total retail sales

*Don’t really know why

Question 19

A focus group relies on:

A) Representative sampling
B) A questionnaire
C) Group discussion
D) Quantitative measurement

Answer 19

C) Group discussion

*Focus Group is a small group of people whose reactions are studied in guided or open discussions to determine the reactions that can be expected from a larger population. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members.

Question 20

A depth interview is useful to investigate:

A) Consumers’ motivations
B) Market’s characteristics
C) Possible effects of a new product’s launch
D) Market trends

Answer 20

A) Consumers’ motivations

*In-depth interviewing is a qualitative research technique that involves conducting intensive individual interviews with a small number of respondents to explore their perspectives on a particular idea, program, or situation.

Question 21

What is a market test?

A) An example of exploratory research
B) An example of descriptive research
C) An example of causal research
D) An example of cross-sectional research

Answer 21

C) An example of causal research

• Don’t know why it’s only C not A?
• Causal research, also called explanatory research, is the investigation of (research into) cause-and-effect relationships
• Market Test uses a group to gauge the viability of type of research prior to a wide scale roll-out.

Question 22

Compared to other methods of survey administration, internet-based surveys generally have:

A) Better sampling control
B) Worse sampling control
C) The best response rates
D) The worst response rates

Answer 22

B) Worse sampling control

Question 23

If you have a good and appropriate mailing list (and you are carrying out a mail survey), you will:

A) Send a questionnaire to everybody on the list
B) Use the list for building a random sample of respondents
C) Use the list to understand who should be the typical respondent
D) Send a request to all list addresses, and then follow up with a questionnaire upon acceptance

Answer 23

B) Use the list for building a random sample of respondents

Question 24

Mail surveys typically have:

A) Variable response rates, depending on context
B) High response rates
C) Low response rates
D) The same response rates as other methods

Answer 24

C) Low response rates

Question 25

Mall-intercept surveys generally have:

A) Comparatively good response rates
B) Comparatively bad response rates
C) Comparatively good sampling control
D) Comparatively bad control over questionnaire administration

Answer 25

A) Comparatively good response rates

Question 26

In causal research, it is important to:

A) Ensure high response rates
B) Have large samples
C) Use adequate incentives
D) Avoid the effect of extraneous variables

Answer 26

D) Avoid the effect of extraneous variables

• Causal research, also called explanatory research, is the investigation of (research into) cause-and-effect relationships
• Extraneous variables are any variables that you are not intentionally studying in your experiment or test.

Question 27

In causal research, studies are also called experiments and may be:

A) Laboratory experiments and field experiments
B) Exploratory experiments and descriptive experiments
C) Primary experiments and secondary experiments
D) Representative experiments and non-representative

Answer 27

A) Laboratory experiments and field experiments

*Causal research, also called explanatory research, is the investigation of (research into) cause-and-effect relationships

Question 28

Which of the following questions is most likely an example of nominal (categorical) scale?

A) A question about income, in $
B) A question about preference between two brands
C) A question about area of residence
D) A question about product liking, on a 7-point scale

Answer 28

C) A question about area of residence *

*Nominal scales are used for labeling variables, without any quantitative value. “Nominal” scales could simply be called “labels.”

Question 29

Non-response bias refers to:

A) The presence of systematic differences between respondents and non-respondents
B) The presence of similarities between respondents and non-respondents
C) The use of small samples because of low response rates
D) The effect that a bad questionnaire may have on respondents

Answer 29

A) The presence of systematic differences between respondents and non-respondents

*Nonresponse bias is the bias that results when respondents differ in meaningful ways from nonrespondents

Question 30

Likert scales are based on:

A) A set of statements rated by respondents in terms of agreement or disagreement
B) A set of brands that respondents must rank in order of preference
C) A set of paired adjectives (for example, Bad/Good)
D) A total of 100 points to be divided and allocated by respondents

Answer 30

A) A set of statements rated by respondents in terms of agreement or disagreement

*When responding to a Likert item, respondents specify their level of agreement or disagreement on a symmetric agree-disagree scale for a series of statements. Thus, the range captures the intensity of their feelings for a given item

Question 31

Semantic differential scales yield _______ measures.

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Answer 31

C) Interval

• Semantic Differential is a type of a rating scale designed to measure the connotative meaning of objects, events, and concepts. The connotations are used to derive the attitude towards the given object, event or concept.
• The interval type allows for the degree of difference between items, but not the ratio between them

Question 32

Paired comparison scales yield \_\_\_\_ data.
A) Nominal 
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Answer 32

B) Ordinal

• Ordinal type allows for rank order (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.) by which data can be sorted, but still does not allow for relative degree of difference between them.
• Paired Comparison Scaling is a comparative scaling technique wherein the respondent is shown two objects at the same time and is asked to select one according to the defined criterion. The resulting data are ordinal in nature.

Question 33

Which type of scale yields measures with an absolute zero?

A) Nominal
B) Ordinal
C) Interval
D) Ratio

Answer 33

D) Ratio

*Ratio scales tell us about the order, they tell us the exact value between units, AND they also have an absolute zero–which allows for a wide range of both descriptive and inferential statistics to be applied

Question 34

Interval measures are limited in that they cannot be interpreted in absolute terms, i.e.:

A) They can only be interpreted in reference to some (valid) comparison
B) They can always be interpreted in absolute terms
C) They can’t be interpreted
D) Interval measures are not limited

Answer 34

A) They can only be interpreted in reference to some (valid) comparison

*Don’t fully understand why

Question 35

You collected preference measures for five brands of detergent by asking respondents to rank them (first, second, etc.). The vast majority of your respondents ranked Tide first. What conclusions can you draw in terms of preference for Tide over all the other brands in the market, including same that were not included in your original question?

A) By extension, you can conclude that Tide will be preferred to all other brands on the market
B) Your results do not allow any conclusions about brands that were not included in the set used for the ranking
C) You need to calculate the average ranking for Tide
D) You can ask a new set of respondents to give you ratings for the other brands

Answer 35

B) Your results do not allow any conclusions about brands that were not included in the set used for the ranking

Question 36

“I like to use conditioner every day”
1 Disagree 2 Disagree Somewhat 3 Agree Somewhat 4 Agree

A) It is a multi-item scale
B) It is a comparative question
C) It may not have interval-scale properties because of having only 4 answer points
D) It is an unbalanced question

Answer 36

C) It may not have interval-scale properties because of having only 4 answer points

*Don’t fully get why

Question 37

“I like to use conditioner every day”
1 Disagree 2 Disagree Somewhat 3 Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 Agree Somewhat 5 Agree

A) Balanced question
B) It may not have interval scale properties because it has only 5 answers points
C) Comparative question
D) An ordinal scale

Answer 37

A) Balanced question

*A balanced question is one that has a question stem that presents the respondent with both (all reasonably plausible) sides of an issue.

Question 38

A Likert scale generally is:

A) A questions about brand preference
B) A multi-item scale
C) A comparative question
D) An ordinal scale

Answer 38

B) A multi-item scale

• A Likert-type scale assumes that the strength/intensity of experience is linear, i.e. on a continuum from strongly agree to strongly disagree, and makes the assumption that attitudes can be measured.
• A multi-item scale is designed to measure the respondent’s attitude towards more than one attribute related to the stimulus object.

Question 39

Survey administration conditions, respondent characteristics, survey goals and topics are:

A) Irrelevant to formulating questions for a questionnaire
B) Relevant to formulating questions for a questionnaire
C) Unpredictable factors in designing a survey
D) To be decided only after designing a questionnaire

Answer 39

B) Relevant to formulating questions for a questionnaire

Question 40

What do surveys aim to get from respondents?

A) Creative responses
B) Cause and effect observations
C) Standardized responses
D) Insights

Answer 40

C) Standardized responses

Question 41

What is an open ended question?

A) An interval scale
B) A question that has no fixed response format
C) A question that has a closed answer format
D) A question with a dichotomous answer format

Answer 41

B) A question that has no fixed response format

Question 42

When using a multi-item scale, you have:

A) A ratio score
B) An interval scale with 10 answer points
C) A question about multiple brands
D) A single score from multiple questions

Answer 42

D) A single score from multiple questions

*A multi-item scale is designed to measure the respondent’s attitude towards more than one attribute related to the stimulus object. It is a rating scale comprising of multiple items, where each item is a single question or a statement that needs to be evaluated.

Question 43

Classification questions are best placed:

A) At the end of the questionnaire
B) At the beginning of the questionnaire
C) They should not be used
D) Scattered and mixed throughout the questionnaire

Answer 43

A) At the end of the questionnaire

Question 44

Branding questions in a questionnaire:

A) Are typically multi-item scales
B) Are typically open ended questions
C) Send respondents to the appropriate section of the questionnaire
D) Give respondents an overview of the contents of the questionnaire

Answer 44

C) Send respondents to the appropriate section of the questionnaire

Question 45

In a questionnaire, leading questions result in:

A) Honest answers
B) Disingenuous answers
C) Standardized responses
D) Insights

Answer 45

B) Disingenuous answers

*A leading question suggests the particular answer or contains the information the examiner is looking to have confirmed

Question 46

When certain social, economic or demographic groups do not cooperate with the census process and escape measurement, the measures obtained from the census will have ____________ than the measures obtained from a proper representative sample

A) Lower systematic error (bias)
B) Higher systematic error (bias)
C) Lower random error
D) Higher random error

Answer 46

B) Higher systematic error (bias)

*Systematic errors are difficult to detect and cannot be analyzed statistically, because all of the data is off in the same direction (either to high or too low). Spotting and correcting for systematic error takes a lot of care.

Question 47

For any given population, a representative sample will collect ________ than a census

A) A smaller number of responses
B) A larger number of responses
C) The same number of responses
D) There is no general answer to this question

Answer 47

A) A smaller number of responses

*A representative sample is a small quantity of something that accurately reflects the larger entity

Question 48

For a research project that aims at studying the number of hours US children spend daily playing video games, the target populations may be defined as

A) Video games
B) Households
C) US residents
D) Children

Answer 48

D) Children

Question 49

A complete list of population members is called

A) Mailings list
B) Target population
C) Sampling frame
D) Sample

Answer 49

C) Sampling frame

*Sampling frame is a list of the items or people forming a population from which a sample is taken

Question 50

A probability sample is:

A) Biased
B) Representative
C) Large
D) Exploratory

Answer 50

B) Representative

*A probability sampling method is any method of sampling that utilizes some form of random selection.

Question 51

Which of the following is a sampling frame?

A) The definition of the target market or target population
B) The calculation of sample size
C) A rule for identifying all population members
D) The project framework

Answer 51

C) A rule for identifying all population members

*Sampling frame is a list of the items or people forming a population from which a sample is taken

Question 52

A sample is a _______ when all members of the population have a known chance of being sampled

A) Non-probability sample
B) Cluster sample
C) Census
D) Probability sample

Answer 52

D) Probability sample

Question 53

Non-probability samples are useful when:

A) The research project is descriptive, for example a representative survey
B) The research project is exploratory, for example a pilot a survey
C) They are never useful
D) They are always useful, as long as they are large enough

Answer 53

B) The research project is exploratory, for example a pilot a survey

*Three common techniques of non-probability sampling are: convenience sampling, which involves choosing a sample based on the people who are readily available; quota sampling, which requires the researcher to set quotas based on the demographic information of the population; and judgmental or purposive sampling

Question 54

Simple Random Sampling (SRS) relies on

A) Small sample size
B) Simple sample structure
C) Random numbers
D) Random sampling cost

Answer 54

C) Random numbers

*A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen

Question 55

Generally, a cluster sample is _______ than a SRS

A) More expensive
B) Less expensive
C) More accurate
D) More representative

Answer 55

B) Less expensive

*Cluster sampling is a sampling method, the researcher divides the population into separate groups, called clusters. Then, a simple random sample of clusters is selected from the population. The researcher conducts his analysis on data from the sampled clusters.

Question 56

Generally, a cluster sample is _______ than a SRS

A) More accurate
B) Less accurate
C) More probabilistic
D) Less probabilistic

Answer 56

B) Less accurate

*Cluster sampling is a sampling method, the researcher divides the population into separate groups, called clusters. Then, a simple random sample of clusters is selected from the population. The researcher conducts his analysis on data from the sampled clusters.

Question 57

Generally, a stratified sample is ______ than a SRS

A) More expensive
B) Less expensive
C) More accurate
D) A and C

Answer 57

D) A and C

• Stratified sample is drawn from a number of separate strata of the population, rather than at random from the whole population, in order that it should be representative.
• A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen

Question 58

Generally, a stratified sample is ______ than a SRS

A) More accurate
B) Less accurate
C) More probabilistic
D) Less probabilistic

Answer 58

A) More accurate

• Stratified sample is drawn from a number of separate strata of the population, rather than at random from the whole population, in order that it should be representative.
• A simple random sample is a subset of a statistical population in which each member of the subset has an equal probability of being chosen

Question 59

A quota sample is also

A) A stratified sample
B) A simple random sample
C) A large sample
D) A non-probability sample

Answer 59

D) A non-probability sample

• Quota sampling means to take a very tailored sample that’s in proportion to some characteristic or trait of a population.
• Non-probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that does not give all the individuals in the population equal chances of being selected.

Question 60

A statistic calculated from a probabilistic sample can be expected to differ from the “true” population value because of:

A) Systematic Error
B) Random Error
C) Poor Execution
D) Wrong Sampling Technique

Answer 60

B) Random Error

*Random errors in experimental measurements are caused by unknown and unpredictable changes in the experiment. These changes may occur in the measuring instruments or in the environmental conditions.

Question 61

What is probably true of a non probability sample?

A) It’s small
B) It’s large
C) It’s expensive
D) It’s biased

Answer 61

D) It’s biased

*Non-probability sampling is a sampling technique where the samples are gathered in a process that does not give all the individuals in the population equal chances of being selected

Question 62

Suppose you know (from secondary research) that Gender and Income are equally related to the measures you want to study. For your project, it is especially important that you reduce sampling error and increase the accuracy of your sampling estimates. You have some financial flexibility, but not infinite resources. You can:

A) Use stratified sampling, with Gender as the stratification variable
B) Use stratified sampling, with Income as the stratification variable
C) Use cluster sampling, with counties as the first-level clusters
D) Use cluster sampling, with Income as a clustering variable

Answer 62

A) Use stratified sampling, with Gender as the stratification variable

*Stratified sampling, the researcher divides the population into separate groups, called strata. Then, a probability sample (often a simple random sample ) is drawn from each group

Question 63

You need to build a representative sample of your target market but do not have a list of all population members. You then decide to divide the market by ZIP codes, and select a sample of ZIP codes. Subsequently, you get a list of city blocks for each of the sampled ZIP codes, a build a sample of city blocks. Finally, you will develop a list of individuals who live in this sample of city blocks, and build a final sample of individuals. This is an example of:

A) Simple Random Sampling
B) Judgement Sampling
C) Stratified Sampling
D) Cluster Sampling

Answer 63

D) Cluster Sampling

*Cluster sampling, the researcher divides the population into separate groups, called clusters. Then, a simple random sample of clusters is selected from the population. The researcher conducts his analysis on data from the sampled clusters

Question 64

Sample representativeness depends on:

A) Random selection from the target population
B) Adequate inclusion of all different groups, based on gender, income, etc.
C) Large sample size
D) Elimination of sampling error

Answer 64

A) Random selection from the target population

Question 65

A sample result is representative if:

A) Sample is large
B) Sample is precise
C) Sample is probabilistic
D) Sample is based on stratification

Answer 65

C) Sample is probabilistic