Exam 8: Observation, Focus Groups, and Other Qualitative Methods

Observation techniques allow researchers to observe rather than communicate with a person to obtain information.

Focus group reports must translate the qualitative statements of participants into categories, and then report the degree of consensus apparent in the focus groups.

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the textbook as a limitation of observational data?

Faulty recall occurs when actions or activities are so repetitive or automatic that the respondent cannot recall specifics about the behavior under question. It is a reason for not using an observation technique.

Which of the following was NOT mentioned in the textbook as an advantage of observational data?

Which of the following was NOT discussed in the textbook as an appropriate condition for the use of an observation study?

Moderators of focus groups need not be hired until the focus groups are actually ready to begin.

Which of the following observation techniques involves observing historical records, such as records of sales calls or warehouse movements?

Which situations are particularly relevant for the use of protocol analysis?

Focus groups consist of dividing large groups, classes of college students, church groups, and so on into several smaller groups. This allows each subgroup to focus on a separate issue such as price of the product, packaging of the product, usefulness of the product, and so on. Combining all the subgroup reports together affords clients greater "focus" on their products and services.

What type of research is: designed to reveal a target audience's range of behavior; the perceptions that drive the target market; sometimes based on in-depth studies of small groups of people; descriptive rather than prescriptive; inclusive of diary and journal exercises, focus groups, individual depth interviews, and ethnography?

One of the disadvantages of focus groups is that:

Sue Miller, brand manager for Zippo Cat Foods, wanted to gather some information from cat food buyers. She arranged to conduct several focus groups, each conducted online with as many as 25 to 50 participants. She also wanted to interact with the focus group participants. Sue would be using which type of focus group?

A researcher for Lipton tea is interested in learning how teenagers think of iced tea, and she gives a sample of teens the following incomplete sentence: "Teens who drink tea instead of cola are ________" and asks them to finish the sentence. This is an example of a:

Observation studies the advantage of allowing observation of consumers' motives, attitudes, and intentions.

Laddering is a technique used with in-depth interviews which attempts to determine which product attributes are linked to values held by consumers.

With which type of observation technique do researchers observe tangible evidence of some event, such as measuring the amount of graffiti on buildings to indicate the potential crime in an area?

Which one of the following best represents the desired composition of a focus group?

Which of the following is a characteristic of a non-traditional focus group?

What type of observation method is used when human observation may be less accurate, too costly, or not functional?