Question 1

An analysis of company financial records shows that in every year that the company increased its advertising expenditures,sales increased.What can you say about the relationship between the two factors/variables?

Accepted Answer

The analysis shows that whenever advertising expenditures increased, sales also increased. This indicates that both variables moved together, which is described as concomitant variation. This does not necessarily imply causation (choice B and C imply a causal relationship, which is not directly supported by the statement), nor does it suggest an inverse relationship (D).

Question 2

The "treatment" is also referred to as which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The term "treatment" refers to the independent variable in an experiment, which is the variable being manipulated to observe the effect on the dependent variable. The other options, such as increase in sales, change in market share, and gross margin, may be outcomes or results of the treatment, but they are not interchangeable with the term "treatment."

Question 3

In an experiment where the marketer is interested in finding out the impact of shelf position on a product's sales,the shelf position is considered the __________variable.

Accepted Answer

In the given experiment, the marketer is manipulating the shelf position of the product and observing its impact on sales. Hence, the shelf position is the independent variable as it is being manipulated by the marketer. The dependent variable in this case would be the product's sales as it is an outcome that is being measured in response to the independent variable.

Question 4

__________ refers to changes in subjects throughout the course of the experiment that are a function of time,such as getting older,tiring,etc.

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to changes that occur within the subjects over time, such as physical or developmental changes. This can impact the results of the experiment and must be controlled for. History refers to external events that may occur during the course of the experiment, mortality refers to loss of participants over time, and selection bias refers to non-random selection of participants which may impact the results. None of these options fully capture the concept described in the question.

Question 5

If the researcher can show that the experimental or treatment variable actually produced the differences observed in the dependent variable,then the experiment can be said to be which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Internal validity refers to the degree to which a researcher can confidently attribute cause-and-effect relationships between the independent and dependent variables in a study. If the researcher can conclusively show that the experimental or treatment variable produced the differences observed in the dependent variable, then the experiment is considered to be internally valid.

Question 6

In order to show that variable A causes variable B,A must occur:

Accepted Answer

In order to establish causality, A must occur before B. This is because causality is defined as the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first. Therefore, A must precede B in time for causal inference to be justified.

Question 7

Research that is designed to determine whether a change in one variable likely caused change in another variable is referred to as _______________.

Accepted Answer

Causal research is specifically designed to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between one or more variables. Exploratory research is conducted to gain preliminary information or insights into a problem or situation, and descriptive research is designed to describe and analyze existing phenomena. Therefore, option B is the most appropriate answer.

Question 8

Test markets are which of the following type of experiment?

Accepted Answer

Test markets are a type of field experiment where a product or service is introduced in a small geographical area to gauge its potential success before a full-scale launch. Test markets allow companies to gather real-world data on consumer behaviors, preferences, and reactions in a controlled setting, which makes them ideal for assessing the potential success of a new product or service.

Question 9

Which of the following has the highest degree of external validity?

Accepted Answer

Field experiments involve manipulating independent variables in a natural setting. Therefore, they have higher external validity as they can generalize results to the real world. The other options either take place in a controlled environment or have limited use for generalizing results.

Question 10

Which of the following types of research allows the researcher to show causation?

Accepted Answer

An experiment allows the researcher to manipulate an independent variable and observe the effect it has on a dependent variable, thus establishing causation. Surveys and observations can only show correlation, not causation.

Question 11

Suppose a manufacturer wants to determine whether or not changing the packaging of his/her major product will bring about a change in sales.Which type of research will be most appropriate?

Accepted Answer

Causal research is used to determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables. In this scenario, the manufacturer wants to know whether changing packaging will cause a change in sales. Therefore, causal research would be the most appropriate approach to take.

Question 12

__________ refers to the intervention between the beginning and end of an experiment,involving outside variables or events that might change the dependent variable.

Accepted Answer

History refers to outside events or variables that may affect the dependent variable during the course of the experiment. This could include natural disasters, political events, or societal changes that impact the results. Maturation refers to changes in the participants over time, selection bias refers to a biased selection of participants, and mortality refers to the loss of participants during the study.

Question 13

An experiment is designed to test how consumers go about choosing life insurance policies.If this experiment uses a sample of college students,it would likely not have _______.

Accepted Answer

External validity refers to the extent to which the findings of a study can be generalized to other populations beyond the specific sample used in the study. Using a sample of college students may limit the external validity of the study, as college students may not represent the broader population of consumers in terms of their decision-making process for life insurance policies. Internal validity refers to the extent to which the study design and procedures minimize the effects of extraneous variables, whereas laboratory validity refers to the extent to which the study findings generalize to real-world settings. Neither of these concepts directly relates to the use of a college student sample in this study.

Question 14

Which of the following is not a precondition for causation?

Accepted Answer

The effect variable is not a precondition for establishing causation; rather, it is what is being caused. Preconditions for causation typically include establishing a correlation, ensuring the appropriate time order of occurrence, and eliminating other possible causal factors to isolate the cause-effect relationship.

Question 15

Experiments are especially effective in showing causality because they are able to do what?

Accepted Answer

Experiments are especially effective in showing causality because they are able to eliminate other possible causal factors.

Question 16

Concomitant variation occurs when 2 variables are _______.

Accepted Answer

Concomitant variation refers to a correlation between two variables, meaning they tend to vary together in a predictable way. It does not necessarily imply a causal relationship or an experimental manipulation. Therefore, choice C, correlated, is the best option.

Question 17

In an experiment,which of the following variables would probably not be the dependent variable?

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is typically the variable that is being measured or evaluated in response to changes in the independent variable. In this case, advertising would likely be the independent variable, as it is something that can be controlled or manipulated in the experiment, while total sales, market share, and percent increase in market penetration would all be dependent variables, as they would change in response to changes in advertising.

Question 18

To demonstrate that an increase in advertising causes a sales increase,one must be able to show that the increase in advertising occurred before the increase in sales.Which of the preconditions for causation is being illustrated?

Accepted Answer

For causation to be established, it is essential that the cause (increase in advertising) must precede the effect (increase in sales). Therefore, the appropriate time order of occurrence is being illustrated. The other preconditions, such as elimination of all possible causal factors and elimination of the effects of the independent variable, are not being addressed in this scenario.

Question 19

When respondents drop out of an experiment before it is completed,this is referred to as ________________.

Accepted Answer

Mortality refers to the dropping out of respondents from an experiment before it is completed.

Question 20

Which of the following is the main disadvantage of laboratory experiments?

Accepted Answer

Laboratory experiments are conducted in a controlled environment, but the laboratory setting may not be an accurate representation of the real-world setting. This can reduce the external validity of the study and limit the generalization of the findings.

Quiz 9: Primary Data Collection: Experimentation and Test Markets