MK473 Marketing Research: Qualitative Research Techniques

Flashcards covering key concepts, techniques, advantages, and disadvantages of qualitative research methods including focus groups, observation, in-depth interviews, projective techniques, and neuromarketing, based on the MK473 Marketing Research lecture notes.

What is qualitative research?

Qualitative research involves collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by observing what people do or say, providing deeper, richer information that is unstructured and non-standardized.

What are the key differences between qualitative and quantitative research?

Qualitative research uses unstructured data collection, smaller samples, and provides deeper insight, while quantitative research uses structured questions, large samples, and numerical data.

What is a focus group?

Focus groups are small groups of people brought together and guided by a moderator/facilitator through an unstructured, spontaneous discussion for the purpose of gaining information relevant to the research problem.

What are some common objectives for conducting focus groups?

Common objectives include generating ideas, understanding consumer vocabulary, revealing consumer motives/perceptions/attitudes, and understanding findings from quantitative studies.

What are the primary advantages of using focus groups in marketing research?

Advantages include generating fresh ideas, allowing clients to observe participants, addressing a wide variety of issues, and providing easy access to special respondent groups.

What are the disadvantages associated with using focus groups?

Disadvantages include representativeness issues with participants, dependence on the moderator, difficult and subjective interpretation, and high cost per participant.

What are observation methods in qualitative research?

Observation methods are techniques in which phenomena of interest involving people, objects, and/or activities are systematically observed and documented.

What is the difference between direct and indirect observation?

Direct observation involves observing behavior as it occurs, while indirect observation involves observing the effects or results of the behavior rather than the behavior itself.

Explain the difference between overt and covert observation.

In overt observation, the respondent is aware of being observed, whereas in covert observation, the subject is unaware that he or she is being observed.

What distinguishes structured from unstructured observation?

Structured observation involves the researcher identifying behaviors to observe and record beforehand, while unstructured observation means all behavior is observed, and the observer determines what to record without predetermined restrictions.

What is the difference between In Situ and Invented observation?

In situ observation means the researcher observes behavior exactly as it happens in a natural setting, while invented observation involves the researcher creating a simulated or artificial situation.

What are the advantages of using observation techniques?

Advantages include insight into actual behaviors, no chance for recall error, and better accuracy.

What are some limitations of observation techniques?

Limitations include typically involving a small number of subjects, subjective interpretations, and an inability to pry beneath the observed behavior to understand motivations or attitudes.

What are In-Depth Interviews (IDIs)?

In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) are a set of probing questions posed one-on-one to a subject by a trained interviewer to gain a detailed understanding of what the subject thinks about something or why they behave a certain way.

In the context of IDIs, what are probing questions?

Probing questions are open-ended questions that encourage people to share more information and deeper thoughts.

What are projective techniques in qualitative research?

Projective techniques are methods used to uncover hidden thoughts and feelings that may not be accessed through direct questioning, such as word association, sentence completion, or picture tests.

What is neuromarketing?

Neuromarketing is the study of an individual’s involuntary responses to marketing stimuli, including eye movement, heart rate, skin conductance, breathing, and brain activity, to offer insights into subconscious consumer behavior.

Name some examples of neuromarketing techniques.

Examples of neuromarketing techniques include neuroimaging, eye tracking, and facial coding.

What are the key steps involved in analyzing qualitative data?

The key steps in analyzing qualitative data are to organize the data, get to know the data, categorize the data, identify themes, provide substantiating examples, and communicate insights.