Marketing Research Exam ! w/ everhtyjon

Generalizability

The ability to apply research findings to a larger population.

Exploratory research

Research used to develop ideas and insights when a problem is not well understood.

Descriptive research

Research used to describe characteristics, behaviors, attitudes, or opinions.

Causal research

Research used to test whether one variable causes a change in another.

Exploratory research example

Why are customers not interested in our new product?

Descriptive research example

What percentage of customers purchase our product each month?

Causal research example

Does lowering the price increase purchase intention?

Survey

A standardized set of questions given to a sample from a population.

Open-ended question

A question that allows respondents to answer in their own words.

Closed-ended question

A question that provides specific response options.

Open-ended question advantage

Provides detailed responses and can reveal unexpected ideas.

Closed-ended question advantage

Responses are easier to compare and analyze.

Focus group

A small group discussion led by a moderator to explore opinions and experiences.

Interview

A one-on-one conversation used to collect detailed information.

Focus group vs. interview

Focus groups involve group interaction; interviews provide one-on-one depth.

Moderator guide

A list of questions and topics used to guide a focus group or interview.

Follow-up question

A question used to get more detail or clarification.

Can focus group findings be generalized to the entire population?

No, because small qualitative groups are not automatically representative.

Observation

Research that records people's actual behavior or surroundings.

Mystery shopping

Research where a person acts like a customer to evaluate a business experience.

Observation vs. mystery shopping

Observation watches behavior; mystery shopping evaluates the experience as a customer.

Messaging research

Research involving value propositions, taglines, positioning, and marketing communications.

Market share

The percentage of a market controlled by a company.

Industry trends

Changes occurring across an industry over time.

Consumer trends

Changes in consumer behaviors, preferences, or attitudes over time.

Social media monitoring

Measuring social media activity using metrics such as likes, shares, and engagement.

Social media listening

Interpreting social media conversations to understand opinions and meanings.

Social media monitoring is primarily

Quantitative.

Social media listening is primarily

Qualitative.

Social media monitoring example

Tracking engagement rate or number of comments.

Social media listening example

Interpreting comments to understand why customers dislike a product.

Cross-sectional research

Data collected at one point in time.

Longitudinal research

Data collected repeatedly over a period of time.

Cross-sectional research use

Measuring characteristics or attitudes at one specific point in time.

Longitudinal research use

Measuring changes in attitudes or behaviors over time.

Tracking the same sample over time

Useful for measuring how the same people change.

Leading question

A question that pushes respondents toward a preferred answer.

Loaded question

A question containing assumptions or emotionally charged wording.

Ambiguous question

A question that can be interpreted in more than one way.

Double-barreled question

A question that asks about two issues but allows only one response.

Leading question example

Don't you agree that our new product is better?

Double-barreled question example

How satisfied are you with our price and product quality?

Good survey question

A question that is clear, neutral, and focused on one idea.

Order effects

When the order of response options influences respondents' answers.

Randomizing response options

Changing the order of choices to reduce order bias.

Mutually exclusive categories

Response categories that do not overlap.

Collectively exhaustive categories

Response categories that cover all reasonable possible answers.

Mutually exclusive example

Age ranges where each person fits into only one category.

Collectively exhaustive example

Age ranges that include every reasonable age.

Nominal scale

A scale using categories or labels with no meaningful order.

Ordinal scale

A scale with a meaningful order but unequal or unknown distances between categories.

Interval scale

A scale with order and equal intervals but no true zero.

Ratio scale

A scale with order, equal intervals, and a meaningful zero.

Nominal scale example

Favorite brand: Nike, Adidas, Puma, or Reebok.

Ordinal scale example

Very dissatisfied, dissatisfied, neutral, satisfied, very satisfied.

Interval scale example

Temperature measured in Celsius.

Ratio scale example

Income, age, weight, or number of purchases.

Categorical data

Data that places observations into categories or groups.

Continuous measurement

Data measured numerically along a range of possible values.

Experiment

A research design used to test cause-and-effect relationships.

Independent variable

The factor manipulated or changed by the researcher.

Dependent variable

The outcome measured by the researcher.

Extraneous variable

A factor other than the independent variable that could affect the outcome.

Independent variable example

The type of advertisement shown to consumers.

Dependent variable example

Consumers' purchase intention.

Extraneous variable example

A different device or setting used for different experimental groups.

Covariation

The proposed cause and outcome must vary together.

Temporal precedence

The proposed cause must occur before the outcome.

Elimination of alternative explanations

Other possible causes must be controlled or ruled out.

Three conditions for causality

Covariation, temporal precedence, and elimination of alternative explanations.

Internal validity

The extent to which an outcome can reasonably be attributed to the manipulated variable.

External validity

The extent to which findings can be generalized to other people or situations.

Internal validity question

Did the independent variable really cause the observed outcome?

External validity question

Can the findings be generalized beyond the study?

Strong internal validity

Other variables are controlled and alternative explanations are reduced.

External validity factors

Different customers, locations, time periods, products, and real-world conditions.