Deck 10: Observation

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

False
There are several errors associated with observation: subjectivity,observer bias,accuracy,and interpretation.

Question 3

Researchers may observe physical phenomena as well as human behavior.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

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

Question 5

Hidden,unobtrusive observation maximizes respondent error.

Question 6

A source of error in observation studies is in the interpretation of the meaning of the observation data.

Question 7

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

Question 8

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

Question 9

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 10

Attitudes cannot be observed.

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

When the investigator intervenes to create an artificial environment to test a hypothesis,this approach is called artificial observation.

Question 16

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

Question 17

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 18

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

Question 19

Marketing research companies can compute market shares through observation of inventories in retail audits.

Question 20

One limitation of observation as a research method is that the observation period is generally short.

Question 21

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

Question 22

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 23

Using a stopwatch to determine the average waiting time for a customer 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 24

A situation in which an observer's presence,or the mechanical device doing the recording,is easily known to the subject involves:

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

Question 25

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 26

All of the following are examples of nonverbal behavior EXCEPT:

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

Question 27

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 28

All of the following are observable phenomena EXCEPT:

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

Question 29

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

Question 30

Scanner data can observe supermarket sales in response to a local newspaper ad promotion.

Question 31

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

Question 32

When the subject is unaware that he is being observed in a shopping mall,this represents what type of observation?

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

Question 33

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 34

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.The recorded choice time is referred to as:

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

Question 35

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 36

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 37

All of the following cannot be observed EXCEPT:

A)intentions
B)attitudes
C)expressive behavior
D)feelings

Question 38

When 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:

A)direct observation
B)indirect observation
C)contrived observation
D)response latency

Question 39

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

Question 40

Having observers record the brand names of items found in a kitchen pantry of a consumer panel is an example of what type of observation?

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

Question 41

A researcher gave Jaunita and her husband a bar-coded card,like a frequent-shopper card,that they give to the checkout clerk at the grocery store.Their code number is coupled with the purchase information recorded by the scanner.This family is participating is a(n):

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

Question 42

All of the following are improvements of scanner data over standard mail diary panel data EXCEPT:

A)scanner data measure observed (actual)purchase behavior rather than reported behavior
B)scanner measures are obtrusive
C)more extensive purchase data can be collected with scanner data
D)scanner data are collected mechanically,resulting in improved accuracy over mail diary panel data

Question 43

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

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

Question 44

_____ 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 45

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

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

Question 46

When a researcher counts the percentage of African Americans who have appeared on the cover of Newsweek during the past decade,this is an example of what type of observation?

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

Question 47

When a researcher analyzes the content of advertisements appearing in cartoons on a Saturday morning in terms of the types of characters that appear in the ads,this is an example of what type of observation?

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

Question 48

A Web site designer is interested in how people look at a Web site.He wants to know where they look first when a page comes up.Which mechanical device would be appropriate for finding this out?

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

Question 49

Which of the following companies use a television monitoring system for estimating national television audiences?

A)ACNielsen
B)Mediamark
C)Infoscan
D)TVtrack

Question 50

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 51

Systems that allow consumer panelists to perform their own scanning after taking home products,using handheld wands that read UPC systems are known as:

A)scan-down systems
B)at-home scanning systems
C)personal scanning systems
D)panel scanning systems

Question 52

When an airline passenger (who is really an employee of the airline)complains loudly about his not being served a vegetarian meal so that he can note the behavior of the flight attendant in this type of situation,this is an example of what type of observation?

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

Question 53

Which of the following is a problem with physiological reaction measures?

A)subjects are usually placed in artificial settings
B)calibration of measuring devices
C)devices are expensive
D)all of the above

Question 54

When an employee who works at McDonald's headquarters outside Chicago travels around the U.S.and observes franchises to see if they are acting in the best interests of McDonald's good name in terms of friendly service,cleanliness,and quality of food,this observer is acting as a(n):

A)mystery shopper
B)indirect observer
C)mechanical observer
D)scanner-based consumer panel

Question 55

Which of the following obtains data by observing and analyzing the contents of advertisements,newspaper articles,television programs,Web sties,and the like?

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

Question 56

All of the following are flaws with using click-through rate as a measure of the amount of interest or attention a Web site is receiving EXCEPT:

A)does not differentiate between a lot of activity by a few visitors and a little activity by many visitors
B)some hits are likely made by mistake
C)research lacks information about the meaning behind the numbers
D)does not adequately measure the number of times an ad is clicked on

Question 57

All of the following are errors associated with direct observation EXCEPT:

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

Question 58

Which of the following represents the percentage of people who are exposed to an Internet advertisement who actually click on the corresponding hyperlink which 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 59

Which of the following measures physiological reactions?

A)pupilometer
B)at-home scanning systems
C)click-through counter
D)all of the above

Question 60

All of the following measure physiological reactions EXCEPT:

A)eye-tracking monitor
B)pupilometer
C)at-home scanning systems
D)voce-pitch analysis

Question 61

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

Question 62

Explain the observation of physical objects and message content.

Question 63

A mechanical device that measures voice frequency as a measure of emotional reactions is called a(n)____________________ analysis.

Question 64

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

Question 65

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

Question 66

A mechanical device that is used to track eye-movements during television commercials is called a(n)____________________ monitor.

Question 67

When an observer's presence causes the subject to act differently,we say that the situation has ____________________ bias.

Question 68

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

Question 69

A consumer panel in which household members scan the bar codes of the products they have purchased with a special wand to record their purchase behavior is an example of a(n)____________________.

Question 70

Compare and contrast direct observation and contrived observation.

Question 71

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

Question 72

When a subject is unaware that he is being observed,this is called ____________________ observation.

Question 73

When the presence of an observer is known to the subject,this is called ____________________ observation.

Question 74

A mechanical device that measures a subject's galvanic skin response (GSR)is called a(n)____________________.

Question 75

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

Question 76

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

Question 77

When an observer observes a subject in a natural setting,this is an example of ____________________ observation.

Question 78

Name and define the techniques for measuring physiological reactions.

Question 79

A ____________________ 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 80

A panel of consumers using a special ID card whenever they purchase items from their local supermarket so that purchase behavior is matched with the demographic dimensions of each household is participating in a(n)____________________ panel.