Question 1

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 is the extent to which a study has controlled the variables that can affect the outcome of the research. If the researcher can prove that the experimental or treatment variable was the sole cause of the changes in the dependent variable, then the study is internally valid.

Question 2

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

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable being measured or observed, and is affected by the independent variable or the variable being controlled by the experimenter. In this list, total sales, market share, and percent increase in market penetration can be influenced or impacted by varying levels of advertising, making them probable dependent variables. However, advertising is the independent variable, which means it is the variable being controlled and manipulated in the experiment, making it an unlikely dependent variable.

Question 3

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

Accepted Answer

The term "treatment" typically refers to the independent variable in an experiment, which is a variable that is intentionally varied or manipulated to observe the effect on the dependent variable. It is not related to sales, market share or gross margin, so options A, B, and C are incorrect. Therefore, the correct answer is D.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

In order for variable A to cause variable B, it must occur before B. This is because causation implies that A is the reason for B, and if B occurred before A, then it would not be reasonable to say that A caused it.

Question 5

__________ 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 occur during the course of an experiment that may affect the dependent variable, but are not part of the manipulation of the independent variable. Maturation refers to changes that occur naturally over time, selection bias refers to a bias in selecting participants for a study, and mortality refers to participants dropping out or leaving the study before it is completed. None of these options fully describe the intervention between the beginning and end of an experiment involving outside variables or events that might change the dependent variable. Therefore, the best answer is B, history.

Question 6

__________ 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 in subjects throughout the course of the experiment that are a function of time, such as getting older, tiring, etc. The other options are different sources of bias or confounding that can affect the outcome of an experiment.

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 designed to investigate if one variable has caused a change in another variable. Exploratory research is conducted to understand a problem and generate new ideas, whereas descriptive research aims to describe the characteristics of a population or phenomenon. Therefore, options A and C are incorrect.

Question 8

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 the most appropriate type of research in this scenario because it aims to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between two variables, in this case, the packaging and sales of the product. By conducting causal research, the manufacturer can compare sales data before and after changing the packaging to determine whether the change had a significant impact on sales. This approach provides the most reliable and accurate evidence for making informed decisions about whether or not to implement packaging changes.

Question 9

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 generalizability of research findings to the larger population beyond the specific sample used in the study. If the sample used in the experiment is limited to college students, the findings may not be applicable to other populations, such as working adults or senior citizens, who have different life insurance needs and decision-making processes. Therefore, the experiment may lack external validity. Internal validity refers to the degree to which the study's design controls confounding variables and establishes a cause-and-effect relationship between the independent and dependent variables, which is not relevant to this question. Extraneous validity and laboratory validity are not known terms in research methodology.

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

A field experiment has the highest degree of external validity because it takes place in a real-world setting and allows for the manipulation of variables in a natural environment. This increases the likelihood that the results can be generalized to other situations and populations outside of the experiment. Laboratory experiments and concomitant experiments are typically conducted in more controlled environments and may not be as representative of real-world scenarios.

Question 11

Concomitant variation occurs when 2 variables are _______.

Accepted Answer

Concomitant variation describes a situation where two variables fluctuate in a correlated manner. This means that as one variable increases or decreases, the other variable also tends to increase or decrease. It does not require a causal or experimental relationship between the variables. Therefore, the correct answer is C) correlated.

Question 12

Which of the following is not a precondition for causation?

Accepted Answer

The effect variable is not a precondition for causation; rather, it is the outcome being studied. Preconditions for causation include correlation, appropriate time order, and elimination of other causal factors.

Question 13

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

The appropriate time order of occurrence precondition for causation is being illustrated by the statement. To establish causation, it is necessary to show that the independent variable was manipulated before the dependent variable changed. In this case, an increase in advertising occurred before the increase in sales, showing that the change in advertising is likely the cause of the increase in sales.

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

The main disadvantage of laboratory experiments is that the laboratory setting may not be a good representation of the real-world setting. This can limit the generalizability of the findings to real-world situations.

Question 15

Test markets are which of the following type of experiment?

Accepted Answer

Test markets are a type of field experiment in which a company introduces a product or service in a limited geographic area and observes customer reactions and behavior. This allows the company to gather data and make informed decisions before launching the product or service on a larger scale. Test markets differ from laboratory experiments, which are conducted under controlled and artificial conditions, and exploratory experiments, which are more qualitative in nature and focus on generating new ideas and insights.

Question 16

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

The independent variable is the factor that is being manipulated or changed in order to observe its effect on the dependent variable. In this case, the marketer is manipulating the shelf position of the product to observe how it affects sales, so shelf position is the independent variable.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

Mortality refers to the loss of participants during an experiment. This can occur due to a variety of reasons, such as participants dropping out or being unable to continue with the study. This can lead to biased results and potentially invalidate the study findings.

Question 18

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 data shows that both advertising expenditures and sales increased together, which is an example of concomitant variation, meaning they vary together but it does not imply causation.

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

Experiments are effective in showing causality because they can control and eliminate other possible causal factors, isolating the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

Only experiments allow for the researcher to manipulate variables in order to establish causal relationships. Surveys and observations are useful for identifying correlations between variables, but they do not allow the researcher to demonstrate which variable causes changes in the other.

Quiz 9: A: Primary Data Collection: Experimentation and Test Markets