Marketing Research Chapters 7,8,10,11,12 Final Exams Key Terms

Assignment property

The use of unique descriptors to identify each object in a set.

Behavior intention scale

A special type of rating scale designed to capture the likelihood that people will demonstrate some type of predictable behavior intent toward purchasing an object or service in a future time frame.

Comparative rating scale

A scale format that requires a judgment comparing one object, person, or concept against another on the scale.

Constant-sum scale

Require the respondent to allocate a given number of points, usually 100, among each separate attribute or feature relative to all the other listed ones.

Construct

A hypothetical variable made up of a set of component responses or behaviors that are thought to be related.

Construct development

An integrative process in which researchers determine what specific data should be collected for solving the defined research problem.

Discriminatory power

The scale’s ability to discriminate between the categorical scale responses (points).

Distance property

Enables the researcher and respondent to identify, understand, and express absolute (or assumed) differences between objects.

Domain observables

A set of identifiable and measurable components (indicators) associated with the specific construct of interest.

Formative scale

Individual scale items associated with the construct, object, or phenomenon are often not correlated and thus all indicators must be included in the scale to accurately measure the concept.

Interval scale

A scale that demonstrates absolute differences between each scale point.

Graphic rating scale

A scale measure that uses a scale point format that presents the respondent with some type of graphic continuum as the set of possible raw responses to a given question.

Likert scale

An ordinal scale format that asks respondents to indicate the extent to which they agree or disagree with a series of mental belief or behavioral belief statements about a given object.

Measurement

An integrative process of determining the intensity (or amount) of information about constructs, concepts, or objects.

Multiple-item scale

A scale format that simultaneously collects data on several attributes of an object or construct.

Nominal scale

The type of scale in which the questions require respondents to provide only some type of descriptor as the raw response.

Noncomparative rating scale

A scale format that requires a judgment without reference to another object, person, or concept.

Order property

Establishes “relative magnitudes” between the descriptors creating hierarchical rank-order relationships among objects.

Ordinal scale

A scale that allows a respondent to express relative magnitude between the answers to a question.

Origin property

A unique scale descriptor that is designated as being a “true natural zero” or “true state of nothing.”

Rank-order scale

These allow respondents to compare their own responses by indicating their first, second, third, and fourth preferences, and so forth.

Ratio scale

A scale that allows the researcher to not only identify the absolute differences between each scale point but also to make comparisons between the responses.

Reflective scale

Uses a representative sample of all the possible indicators available to measure the concept and the indicators are expected to be highly correlated.

Relational database

Is in a predefined data structure, such as a spreadsheet format, can be understood and counted by computer programs, and is searchable.

Scale measurement

The process of assigning descriptors to represent the range of possible responses to a question about a particular object or construct

Scale points

Designated degrees of intensity assigned to the responses in a given questioning or observation method.

Semantic differential scale

A unique bipolar scale format that captures a person’s attitudes or feelings about a given object.

Single-item scale

A scale format that collects data about only one attribute of an object or construct.

State-of-being information

Are verifiable responses or information representing the physical and/or demographic or socioeconomic characteristics of individuals, objects, or organizations.

State-of-behavior information

Are responses or information that represents an individual’s, object’s, or organization’s observable current actions/reactions or recorded past actions/reactions.

State-of-intention information

Are responses or information that represent an individual’s or organization’s expressed likelihood of undertaking specified future behavioral actions/reactions

State-of-mind information

Are responses or information representing a person’s cognitive thinking, mental attributes, or emotional feelings about an object and are not directly observable or available through external sources.

Structured data

Is organized and stored in a specific format that is clearly defined, so the data can be easily categorized, organized, and managed in fixed fields (columns or rows).

Unstructured data

Is most often identified as qualitative data, does not have values (codes or numbers) associated with it, and cannot be processed and analyzed using conventional statistical tools and methods.

Bad questions

Any questions that prevent or distort the fundamental communication between the researcher and the respondents.

Call records

A recording document that gathers basic summary information about an interviewer’s performance efficiency (e.g., number of contact attempts, number of completed interviews, length of time of interview).

Common methods variance (CMV)

A biased variance that results from the measurement method used in a questionnaire.

Cover letter

A separate written communication to a prospective respondent designed to enhance that person’s willingness to complete and return the survey in a timely manner.

Institutional review board (IRB)

An IRB reviews and approves, prior to initiation, all research projects that involve the use of human participants as the source of data, to make sure their rights are protected.

Interviewer instructions

Used to train interviewers how to select prospective respondents, screen them for eligibility, and conduct the actual interview.

Introductory section

Gives the respondent an overview of the research.

Pretesting

The conducting of a simulated administering of a designed survey (or questionnaire) to a small, representative group of respondents.

Questionnaire

A formal framework consisting of a set of questions and scales designed to generate primary raw data.

Quotas

A tracking system that collects data from respondents and helps ensure that subgroups are represented in the sample as specified.

Research questions section

The second section of the questionnaire that focuses on the research questions.

Response order bias

Occurs when the order of the questions, or of the closed-end responses to a particular question, influences the answer given.

Screening questions

(also referred to as screeners or filter questions) Used in most questionnaires, their purpose is to identify qualified prospective respondents and prevent unqualified respondents from being included in the study.

Sensitive questions

Include income, sexual beliefs or behaviors, medical conditions, financial difficulties, alcohol consumption, and so forth that respondents are likely to respond to incorrectly.

Skip questions

Used if the next question (or set of questions) should be responded to only by respondents who meet a previous condition.

Structured questions

Closed-ended questions that require the respondent to choose from a predetermined set of responses or scale points.

Supervisor instruction form

A form that serves as a blueprint for training people on how to execute the interviewing process in a standardized fashion; it outlines the process by which to conduct a study that uses personal and telephone interviewers.

Unstructured questions

Open-ended questions formatted to allow respondents to reply in their own words

Coding

Grouping and assigning values to various responses from the survey instrument.

Cross-tabulation

Simultaneously treating two or more variables in the study; categorizing the number of respondents who have answered two or more questions consecutively.

Curbstoning

Data collection personnel filling out surveys for fake respondents.

Data entry