Deck 8: Observation

Question 1

In observation research, a distortion of measurement resulting from the cognitive behavior or actions of the witnessing observer is called selectivity bias.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Hidden observation studies must be alert to situations in which the subject's right to privacy must be protected.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Some might see contrived observation as unethical based on the notion of entrapment.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Interpretation of observations data can be a source of error.

Question 5

Response latency is the amount of time it takes to make a choice between two alternatives.

Question 6

It is typical in observation studies for the observer to ask questions of the person who is being observed.

Question 7

"Conversation volume" is a measure of the amount of Internet postings that involve a specific name or term.

Question 8

When the investigator intervenes to create an artificial environment to test a hypothesis, the investigator is engaging in artificial observation.

Question 9

Television monitoring is a form of computerized mechanical observation.

Question 10

A study of the recording of a Monday Night Football Game in the National Football League in which the observer counts the number of shots of cheerleaders on the sidelines is an example of camera surveillance.

Question 11

Mechanical observation best suits a situation or behavior that is not easily predictable in advance of the research.

Question 12

MRI allows one to measure what portions of the brain are active at a given time.

Question 13

Hidden, unobtrusive observation maximizes respondent error.

Question 14

The results of observational studies can provide complementary evidence, along with other measures, for a respondent's "true" feelings.

Question 15

Attitudes cannot be directly observed but can be inferred from other measures.

Question 16

Researchers can observe people or events with human observers or with machines.

Question 17

Since the observer does not interact with the subject in observation studies, observation is an error-free method of data collection.

Question 18

In observation studies, it is normally not necessary to ask a person who is being observed to state his or her gender, since that characteristic can be observed.

Question 19

Direct observation is a straightforward attempt to observe and record what naturally occurs.

Question 20

In a phenomenological approach, the researcher does not interact with those he or she is observing.

Question 21

The most refined measure of Web site traffic is click-through rate (CTR).

Question 22

Observing the comments made by travelers waiting in a check-in line at the American Airlines ticket counter in Chicago is an example of what type of observation?

A) pictorial records
B) verbal behavior
C) expressive behavior
D) spatial relations

Question 23

It is possible to directly observe ____.

A) intentions
B) attitudes
C) expressive behavior
D) inner emotions

Question 24

When the subject is unaware of being observed in a shopping mall, the observation is said to be ____.

A) contrived
B) indirect
C) participatory
D) unobtrusive

Question 25

Observing a person's television viewing habits is an example of which type of observation?

A) verbal records
B) expressive behavior
C) physical actions
D) physical objects

Question 26

Scanner data can be used to monitor supermarket sales in response to a local newspaper ad promotion.

Question 27

The manager of a shopping mall records the counties listed on the license plates on cars parked at the mall in order to determine where the shoppers come from. This is an example of ____ observation.

A) direct
B) indirect
C) contrived
D) mechanical

Question 28

All of the following are directly observable phenomena EXCEPT ____.

A) attitudes
B) verbal behavior
C) spatial relations and locations
D) neurological activity

Question 29

Clara is a market researcher who records shoppers' movement through a grocery store. What method of research is Clara using?

A) survey
B) assessment
C) immersion
D) observation

Question 30

Having observers record the brand names of items found in the kitchen pantries of consumer panel members involves the observation of ____.

A) physical actions
B) verbal behavior
C) physical objects
D) pictorial records

Question 31

One measure for monitoring Web site traffic is click-through rate (CTR).

Question 32

Measuring the distance visitors stand from a painting in a Van Gogh exhibit at the St. Louis Art Museum is an example of what type of observation?

A) verbal behavior
B) temporal patterns
C) expressive behavior
D) spatial relations

Question 33

All of the following are examples of nonverbal behavior EXCEPT ____.

A) smiling
B) nodding
C) raised eyebrows
D) talking

Question 34

If the observer or the mechanical device used to record is obvious to subjects, the observation is said to be ____.

A) obtrusive
B) visible
C) primary
D) first-order

Question 35

Observing the movement of a shopper in a supermarket is an example of what type of observation?

A) mall interception
B) verbal behavior
C) physical actions
D) expressive behavior

Question 36

Observing traffic patterns at a busy intersection with cameras is an example of what type of observation?

A) spatial relations and locations
B) verbal records
C) verbal behavior
D) expressive behavior

Question 37

Pupilometers measure unconscious eye movement and are useful for determining which components of an ad (or other stimuli) were seen and which were overlooked.

Question 38

John is measuring the amount of time it takes for people to make a choice between two options regarding what to select for lunch to infer the strength of their preferences for one alternative over the other. John is measuring response ____.

A) lag
B) interval
C) latency
D) bias

Question 39

Using a stopwatch to determine how long customers wait at a drive-through location at McDonald's is an example of what type of observation?

A) verbal behavior
B) temporal pattern
C) physical action
D) physical objects

Question 40

Physiological observation techniques, such as pupilometers, psychogalvanometers, and voice-pitch analysis, precisely measure levels of arousal.

Question 41

The systematic process of recording the behaviors of people as they occur is called ____________________.

Question 42

Using click-through rate as a measure of the amount of interest or attention a Web site is receiving can have disadvantages. Which of the following is NOT a flaw of this method?

A) It measures clicks rather than unique visitors
B) It likely makes some hits by mistake.
C) It does not always convey the meaning behind the number of clicks.
D) It does not adequately measure the number of times an ad is clicked on.

Question 43

The time it takes a subject to make a choice between the appeal of two advertisements is a type of ____________________.

Question 44

Which statement about scanner data is FALSE, as compared to standard mail diary panel data?

A) Scanner data measures (actual) purchase behavior rather than reported behavior.
B) Scanner data measures are considered to be extremely obtrusive.
C) Scanner data collects more extensive purchase data.
D) Scanner data are collected mechanically, resulting in improved accuracy.

Question 45

All of the following are errors associated with direct observation EXCEPT ____.

A) subjectivity
B) entrapment
C) accuracy
D) interpretation

Question 46

An airline passenger who is really an employee of the airline complains loudly about not being served a vegetarian meal so that he can note the responses of the flight attendant. This is an example of ____ observation.

A) content
B) indirect
C) contrived
D) response

Question 47

When a researcher analyzes commercials appearing during Saturday morning cartoons, the researcher is engaging in ____.

A) contrived analysis
B) content analysis
C) indirect analysis
D) entrapment

Question 48

_____ are things that people made and consumed within a culture that signal something meaningful about the behavior taking place at the time of consumption.

A) Trace elements
B) Artifacts
C) Inventories
D) Physiological responses

Question 49

When Walgreen's uses cables across the road as "traffic counters" to determine the density of traffic near a possible retail store location, what type of observation is being used?

A) contrived observation
B) mechanical observation
C) human observation
D) content analysis

Question 50

Which measure represents the percentage of people who are exposed to an Internet advertisement and actually click on the corresponding hyperlink that takes them to a company's Web site?

A) conversion transaction rate (CTR)
B) page views
C) cost per click (CPC)
D) click-through rate (CTR)

Question 51

When the presence of an observer is known to the subject, the observation is said to be ____________________.

Question 52

All of the following measure physiological reactions EXCEPT ____.

A) eye-tracking monitors
B) pupilometers
C) at-home scanning systems
D) voce-pitch analysis

Question 53

Which device measures involuntary changes in the electrical resistance of the skin?

A) eye-tracking monitor
B) psychogalvanometer
C) pupilometer
D) voice-pitch analysis

Question 54

Which type of analysis obtains data by observing and analyzing what is written and shown in advertisements, newspaper articles, blogs, and the like?

A) contrived analysis
B) content analysis
C) indirect analysis
D) response latency analysis

Question 55

Observation that involves watching and recording what naturally occurs, without creating an artificial situation, is called ____________________ observation.

Question 56

When a researcher counts the number of African Americans who have appeared on the cover of Newsweek during the past decade, the researcher is engaging in ____.

A) contrived analysis
B) ethnic analysis
C) indirect analysis
D) content analysis

Question 57

A researcher gave Juanita a bar-coded card that she gives to the checkout clerk at the grocery store. The code number is linked to purchase information recorded by the scanner. Juanita is participating in a(n) ____.

A) scanner-based consumer panel
B) obtrusive observation study
C) phenomenological study
D) ethnographic study

Question 58

When the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry measures the popularity of its children's exhibits by the frequency of tile replacement in front of exhibits, it is using what type of observation?

A) content analysis
B) response latency analysis
C) physical-trace analysis
D) contrived analysis

Question 59

When a subject is unaware that he is being observed, the observation is said to be ____________________.

Question 60

A Web site designer is interested in how people look at a Web site. Specifically, she would like to know where they look first when a page comes up. Which mechanical device would be appropriate for determining?

A) pupilometer
B) MRI
C) eye-tracking monitor
D) psychogalvanometer

Question 61

A(n) ____________________ is the percentage of people who are exposed to an Internet advertisement who actually click on the corresponding hyperlink which takes them to the company's Web site.

Question 62

A consumer uses a special ID card whenever he purchases items from the supermarket, allowing purchase behavior to be linked to household demographics. The consumer is participating in a(n) ____________________ panel.

Question 63

Nielson Media Research estimates national television audiences using ____________________.

Question 64

A relatively new physiological measurement technique that gauges emotional reactions as reflected in physiological changes in a person's voice is ____________________ analysis.

Question 65

Discuss the role of observation as a marketing research method and list the types of observable phenomena, giving an example of each.

Question 66

Discuss the ethical issues particular to research using observation. What should a researcher consider when collecting observational data?

Question 67

A mechanical device that measures the electrical resistance of the skin is called a(n) ____________________.

Question 68

A mechanical device that is used to record changes in the diameter of a pupil in a subject is called a(n) ____________________.

Question 69

Compare and contrast direct observation and contrived observation.

Question 70

Explain the observation of physical objects and message content.

Question 71

When a researcher creates an artificial situation in order to observe the reactions of a subject in that type of situation, the researcher is engaging in ____________________ observation.

Question 72

A mechanical device can identify where a subject looks during television commercials is called a(n) ____________________ monitor.

Question 73

The distortion of measurement resulting from the cognitive behavior or actions of a witnessing observer is referred to as ____________________ bias.

Question 74

The systematic study of the words used in a magazine ad is an example of ____________________.

Question 75

Name and define the techniques for measuring physiological reactions.