Deck 3: Theory Building

Question 1

A concept is a generalized idea about a class of objects, attributes, or occurrences.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The scientific method is a set of prescribed procedures for establishing and connecting theoretical statements about events, for analyzing empirical evidence, and for predicting events yet unknown.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Knowledge and confirmation are the two purposes of theory.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The process of identifying the actual measurement scales to asses the variables of interest is known as operationalizing.

Question 5

Deductive reasoning derives a conclusion about a general knowledge based on specific instances.

Question 6

Statistics can be used to prove that a research hypothesis is true.

Question 7

Theories allow researchers to build on previous knowledge.

Question 8

The hierarchy of theory organizes concepts in sequence from the most concrete and individual to the most general.

Question 9

Theories are derived from deductive reasoning and selective reasoning.

Question 10

The basic or scientific business researcher operates at two levels: on the abstract level of concepts (and hypotheses) and on the empirical level of variables ( and propositions).

Question 11

A theory is an abstract, untestable explanation of some events.

Question 12

The term inherent construct refers to a concept that is not directly observable or measurable.

Question 13

As concepts become more abstract, the easier it is to measure them.

Question 14

Risk aversion is an example of a construct.

Question 15

In its simplest form, a research hypothesis is a "guess" about the outcome of a research study.

Question 16

In most scientific situations there is typically only one theory to explain certain phenomena.

Question 17

A concept is a formal statement explaining some outcome.

Question 18

Empirical testing means that something has been examined against reality using data.

Question 19

The first step in the scientific method is to formulate concepts and propositions.

Question 20

The empirical level of the ladder of abstraction is the level of knowledge that is verifiable by experience or observation.

Question 21

Self-efficacy, which is a generalized idea about how humans perceive their own abilities, is an example of a(n) _____.

A) hypothesis
B) proposition
C) concept
D) abstraction

Question 22

The process of identifying the actual measurement scales to assess the variables of interest is called _____.

A) operationalizing
B) synthesizing
C) verifying
D) conceptualizing

Question 23

Which of the following is an empirical assessment of a concept?

A) hypothesis
B) variable
C) construct
D) item

Question 24

_____ is the logical process of deriving a conclusion about a specific instance based on a known general premise or something known to be true.

A) Deductive reasoning
B) Inductive reasoning
C) Latent reasoning
D) Abstract reasoning

Question 25

Anything that may assume different numerical values is considered a(n) _____.

A) variable
B) construct
C) item
D) data point

Question 26

A formal, logical explanation of some events that includes descriptions of how things relate to one another is called a(n) _____.

A) hypothesis
B) theory
C) causal statement
D) empirical study

Question 27

Empathy is a concept that is not directly observable or measurable but is measured through other measures, such as an individual's thoughts and behaviors toward others. This is an example of a(n) _____.

A) latent construct
B) empirical construct
C) secondary construct
D) higher order construct

Question 28

A(n) ____ is a generalized idea about a class of objects that has been given a name.

A) variable
B) theory
C) node
D) construct

Question 29

"Employees dressed professionally will perform better than those dressed casually" is an example of a _____.

A) theory
B) proposition
C) hypothesis
D) variation

Question 30

The organization of concepts in sequence from the most concrete and individual to the most general is called the _____.

A) conceptual hierarchy
B) ladder of abstraction
C) conceptual progression
D) operationalization of constructs

Question 31

When the data from an empirical study are consistent with a research hypothesis, we say that the hypothesis is _____.

A) confirmed
B) conclusive
C) supported
D) true

Question 32

Which of the following means that something has been examined against reality using data?

A) causality
B) manipulation
C) empirical testing
D) spurious association

Question 33

At what level do we "experience" reality?

A) empirical level
B) abstract level
C) primary level
D) secondary level

Question 34

When a researcher collects data to test the hypothesis that consumers will be more satisfied if a business offers compensation after the consumer complains, we say that _____ testing is being conducted.

A) validation
B) confirmation
C) observational
D) empirical

Question 35

Which of the following is a statement explaining the logical linkage among certain concepts by asserting a universal connection between concepts?

A) hypothesis
B) proposition
C) construct
D) theory

Question 36

Which of the following is considered the basic unit for theory development?

A) concept
B) proposition
C) hypothesis
D) variable

Question 37

In theory development, which of the following is the level of knowledge expressing a concept that exists only as an idea or a quality apart from an object?

A) empirical level
B) primary level
C) conceptual level
D) abstract level

Question 38

Psychologists explain that humans' better recall of information that is presented visually compared to information presented verbally is due to the fact that the information is stored both visually and verbally. Because it is stored using this dual-coding process, it is easier to retrieve from memory. This formal logical explanation of this phenomenon is an example of a(n) _____.

A) theory
B) construct
C) operationalization
D) abstraction

Question 39

A concept that is not directly observable or measurable but can be estimated through proxy measures is called a(n) _____.

A) indirect construct
B) secondary construct
C) higher order construct
D) latent construct

Question 40

What are the two goals of theory?

A) speculating and confirming
B) understanding and predicting
C) deducting and inducting
D) abstracting and concretizing

Question 41

_____ reasoning establishes a general proposition on the basis of observation of particular facts.

Question 42

If all the trees a person has seen in his life have been green and therefore he concludes that all trees are green, which type of reasoning is he using?

A) deductive reasoning
B) inductive reasoning
C) generalized reasoning
D) conceptual reasoning

Question 43

In theory development, the level of knowledge expressing a concept that exists only as an idea or a quality apart from an object is the ____ level.

Question 44

_____ involves applying statistics to data to test hypotheses.

Question 45

The logical process of establishing a general proposition on the basis of observation of particular facts is known as _____.

A) deductive reasoning
B) generalized reasoning
C) inductive reasoning
D) conceptual reasoning

Question 46

A researcher is testing the hypothesis stating a positive relationship between business owners' level of risk tolerance and the insurance coverage for the business. To test this, the researcher uses a set of prescribed procedures for establishing and connecting theoretical statements about these two constructs, for analyzing empirical evidence gathered through surveys, and for predicting future behavior. This researcher is following the _____.

A) hypothetical method
B) scientific method
C) deductive method
D) inductive method

Question 47

Going from the general to the specific is done in _____ reasoning.

Question 48

A formal, logical explanation of some events that includes predictions of how things relate to one another is known as a(n) _____.

Question 49

The organization of concepts in sequence from the most concrete and individual to the most general is called the _____.

Question 50

If it is hypothesized that higher levels of compensation will positively influence workers' intention to stay with a company, level of compensation measured in dollars and intentions to stay using a scale are examples of _____.

Question 51

The two purpose of theory are understanding and _____.

Question 52

Which of the following is a step involved in the application of the scientific method?

A) statement of hypotheses
B) formulation of concepts and propositions
C) analysis and evaluation of data
D) all of these choices

Question 53

Statements explaining the logical linkage among certain concepts by asserting a universal connection between concepts are called _____.

Question 54

A(n) _____ is a formal statement explaining some outcome and is testable.

Question 55

A researcher is using income, education, and zip code as an indication of social class. This process of identifying the actual measurement scales to assess social class is called _____.

Question 56

A concept that is not directly observable or measurable, but can be estimated through a proxy measure is known as a(n) _____ construct.

Question 57

_____ are the building blocks of theory.

Question 58

What is the LAST step in the application of the scientific method?

A) assessment of relevant existing knowledge of a phenomenon
B) proposal of an explanation of the phenomenon and statement of new problems raised by the research
C) design of research to test the hypothesis
D) acquisition of meaningful empirical data

Question 59

A set of prescribed procedures for establishing and connecting theoretical statements about events, for analyzing empirical evidence, and for predicting events yet unknown is called the _____.

Question 60

When the data are inconsistent with a hypothesis, we say the hypothesis is _____,

Question 61

Discuss the types of reasoning researchers use to build theories.

Question 62

What is a theory and a hypothesis, and what role do they play in marketing research?

Question 63

List the steps a researcher will likely follow when applying the scientific method to develop and test theories

Question 64

Explain the difference between aconcept and a variable and give an example of each.

Question 65

How does a hypothesis differ from a proposition? Give an example of each.