MAR 3615 Lecture 1 - Survey Data & Measurement Scales

Vocabulary flashcards covering survey data basics, variable types, measurement scaling, objective and subjective properties, natural and synthetic scales, and synthetic scale formats from MAR 3615 Lecture 1.

Marketing Analytics

Using data to make better marketing decisions by turning survey data and SPSS output into useful managerial recommendations.

Survey Dataset

A table or data matrix where rows represent individual respondents and columns represent variables.

Row (in a Survey Dataset)

Represents one case or respondent, telling the full story for one person who answered the survey.

Column (in a Survey Dataset)

Represents one variable, holding one survey question's answers across all respondents.

Variable

Something that can vary across respondents in a marketing survey.

State of Being Variable

A variable type describing who the person is, with examples including gender, age, income, education, and marital status.

Behavior Variable

A variable type describing what the person does, with examples including visit frequency, competitor use, and media usage.

State of Mind Variable

A variable type describing what the person thinks, with examples including satisfaction, preference, perceived quality, and intent.

Property (in Measurement Scaling)

A distinguishing feature of an object (such as a person, product, brand, or company) that a researcher wants to know.

Scale (in Measurement Scaling)

Descriptors used to measure a property.

Data (in Measurement Scaling)

The value recorded for analysis in SPSS.

Measurement (in Measurement Scaling)

The process where consumers select the descriptors that best match themselves.

Objective Property

An observable and tangible feature that can be directly counted or checked (e.g., age, height, dollars spent, store visits), encompassing state of being and behavior.

Subjective Property

An unobservable and intangible feature (e.g., satisfaction, preference, attitude) representing a state of mind that must be translated onto a rating scale.

Natural Scale

A scale that already exists and is widely understood, best suited for measuring objective properties (e.g., years for age, dollars for spending).

Synthetic Scale

A scale created by the researcher for a survey, required to measure unobservable subjective properties and states of mind.

One-Way Labeled Scale

A synthetic scale where every response point has a verbal label progressing from one extreme to the other (e.g., Not at all important to Extremely important).

N-Point Scale

A synthetic scale where respondents choose a number representing intensity, commonly used in 5-point or 7-point versions in marketing surveys.

Anchors

Meaningful verbal labels attached to the smallest and largest values of an N-point scale.

Semantic Differential Scale

A synthetic scale that uses two bipolar adjectives at opposite ends of a continuum, especially useful for evaluating brand, store, product, or firm image.

Stapel Scale

A synthetic scale using a single unipolar adjective alongside positive and negative numerical values (such as -4 to +4) to indicate how well the descriptor fits the object.

Likert Scale

A synthetic scale where respondents express their level of agreement or disagreement with a set of provided statements, perfect for identifying consumer attitude, value, and lifestyle.