Deck 5: Exploratory Research Design: Qualitative Research

Question 1

Resources permitting, one should conduct additional focus groups until the participants can anticipate what will be said.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The quality of focus group results depends heavily on the skills of the moderator.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Quantitative research seeks to quantify the data and, typically, applies some form of statistical analysis.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

A disadvantage of focus groups is that the unstructured nature of the responses makes coding, analysis, and interpretation difficult.

Question 5

Use of a moderator's outline reduces some of the validity problems inherent in focus groups, such as those caused by different moderators not covering the same content areas in comparable ways.

Question 6

The findings of qualitative research should be regarded as conclusive and used to make generalizations to the population of interest.

Question 7

The main purpose of focus groups is to gain insights by listening to a group of people from the appropriate target market talk about issues of interest to the researcher.

Question 8

Qualitative research procedures are classified as either descriptive or causal.

Question 9

Qualitative research is an unstructured, exploratory research methodology based on small samples that provides insights and understanding of the problem setting.

Question 10

Synergism, snowballing, simulation, and security are some of the advantages of focus groups.

Question 11

A focus group should be homogeneous in terms of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics.

Question 12

One advantage of focus groups is serendipity because ideas are more likely to arise out of the blue in a group than in an individual interview.

Question 13

One advantage of focus groups is synergism which results because the participants' feelings are similar to those of other group members; they feel comfortable and therefore willing to express their ideas and feelings.

Question 14

The number of focus groups that should be conducted on a single subject depends upon (1)the nature of the issue, (2)the number of distinct market segments, (3)the number of new ideas generated by each successive group, and (4)time and cost.

Question 15

Telesession groups are focus group sessions by Internet using chat rooms.

Question 16

Focus groups can be misused and abused by considering the results as conclusive.

Question 17

A focus group generally includes 10 to 16 members.

Question 18

Typical information obtained from the screening questionnaire includes product familiarity and knowledge, usage behavior, attitudes toward and participation in focus groups, and standard demographic characteristics.

Question 19

An indirect qualitative projective technique is best to use when conducting research to determine what milk drinkers prefer to eat with their milk.

Question 20

Projective techniques are different from focus groups and depth interview techniques in that projective techniques attempt to disguise the purpose of the research.

Question 21

To minimize negative effects that may arise from disguising the purpose of the qualitative research, the respondents should be informed up front that the true purpose of the research is being disguised so as not to bias the responses.

Question 22

Online focus groups are appropriate for every research situation.

Question 23

Whenever a new marketing research problem is being addressed, ________ research must be preceded by appropriate ________ research.

A)qualitative; quantitative
B)observational; experimental
C)quantitative; qualitative
D)experimental; observational

Question 24

The cost of online focus groups is much less than for traditional focus groups. Firms are able to keep costs between one-fifth and one-half the cost of traditional focus groups.

Question 25

Data determination is one of the three general steps that should be followed when analyzing qualitative data.

Question 26

Projective techniques generally require personal interviews with highly trained interviewers. This is an advantage of projective techniques.

Question 27

Laddering requires interviewers to be trained in specific probing techniques in order to develop a meaningful "mental map" of the consumer's view toward a target product.

Question 28

Baby boomers are a large consumer target for many products and "show and tell" focus groups are being used by consumer researchers. Which of the following statements is not true about "show and tell" focus groups?

A)Respondents' attitudes are uncovered by analyzing their responses to scenarios that are deliberately unstructured, vague, and ambiguous.
B)They provide the needed insight into the core values boomers hold close to their hearts.
C)Participants bring in three or four items that represent their ideal environment.
D)Group discussion is centered on the items brought in for "show and tell."

Question 29

Unlike traditional focus groups, online focus group participation is by invitation only.

Question 30

Qualitative research may reveal the differences between the foreign and domestic markets.

Question 31

Depth interviews uncover less depth of insights than focus groups.

Question 32

Online focus group participants don't have the potential to be distracted by external stimuli.

Question 33

Symbolic analysis attempts to analyze the symbolic meaning of objects by comparing them with their opposites.

Question 34

There are fewer people in an online focus group than in a traditional focus group (Table 5.3 in the text).

Question 35

During depth interviews, probing is of critical importance in obtaining meaningful responses and uncovering hidden issues.

Question 36

Participants in online focus groups receive a time, a URL, a room name, and a password via e-mail.

Question 37

Focus groups, depth interviews, and projective techniques can be implemented over the Internet.

Question 38

In role playing, the researcher assumes that the respondents will project their own feelings into the role.

Question 39

Focus groups can be used to address substantive issues such as deciding on alternative courses of action.

Question 40

Only audio and visual stimuli can be tested via online focus groups.

Question 41

________ are the most important qualitative research procedure.

A)Focus groups
B)Depth interviews
C)Projective techniques
D)Association techniques

Question 42

It is recommended that at least ________ focus groups be conducted.

A)two
B)three
C)four
D)five

Question 43

Which statement is not true about online focus groups?

A)The group interaction lasts for about an hour.
B)The general practice is for moderators to pose their questions in all capital letters and the respondents to respond using upper and lower case.
C)The whole process is much faster than the traditional method.
D)To enter the online focus group, participants must supply the room name, user name, and password to the moderator via email.

Question 44

The procedure for planning and conducting focus groups is described in Figure 5.3 in the text.Planning begins with ________.

A)specifying the objectives of qualitative research
B)writing a screening questionnaire
C)developing a moderator's guide
D)determining objectives of the marketing research project and defining the problem

Question 45

Focus groups can be used to address substantive issues such as ________.

A)defining a problem more precisely
B)generating new ideas about older products
C)developing an approach to a problem
D)interpreting previously obtained quantitative results

Question 46

A focus group interview conducted by two moderators where one moderator is responsible for the smooth flow of the session, and the other ensures that specific issues are discussed is called a ________.

A)two-way focus group
B)dueling-moderator group
C)dual-moderator group
D)respondent-moderator group

Question 47

The Real Research Mall of Atlanta focus group example in the text used focus groups to uncover ________.

A)information on the mall visit experience
B)information on mall brand identity versus other malls
C)information on the brand value of the mall
D)all of the above

Question 48

Constructing a detailed moderator's outline for use during the focus group interviews involves extensive discussions among the ________, ________, and ________.

A)researcher; moderator; and respondents.
B)researcher; client; moderator.
C)researcher; client; respondent.
D)client; respondent; moderator.

Question 49

Which of the following statements is not a disadvantage of online focus groups?

A)Moderators may also be able to carry on side conversations with individual respondents, probing deeper into interesting areas.
B)It can be difficult to verify that a respondent is a member of a target group.
C)Only audio and visual stimuli can be tested.
D)Only people that have and know how to use a computer can participate.

Question 50

Which of the following is a methodological application of focus groups?

A)obtaining impressions of new product concepts
B)generating alternative courses of action
C)Both B and D are correct.
D)generating hypotheses that can be tested quantitatively

Question 51

An interview conducted by a trained moderator among a small group of respondents in an unstructured and natural manner is a(n)________.

A)depth interview
B)projective technique
C)association technique
D)focus group

Question 52

One of the findings of the Mall of Atlanta focus group research mentioned in the text was that respondents who go to the mall for entertainment try to hold costs to under $30, except for special occasions. The client reviewed this information and decided to design a mall experience package that would cost $29.95 The client has fallen victim to which disadvantage of focus groups?

A)misuse
B)misrepresentation
C)messy
D)Both A and B are correct.

Question 53

A focus group interview conducted by two moderators where the moderators deliberately take opposite positions on the issues to be discussed is called a ________.

A)dueling-moderator group
B)two-way focus group
C)dual-moderator group
D)respondent-moderator group

Question 54

There are several reasons to use qualitative research. Which of the following is not a reason to use qualitative research?

A)It is not always possible, or desirable, to use fully structured or formal methods to obtain information from respondents.
B)People may be unwilling or unable to answer certain questions.
C)People are unwilling to give truthful answers to questions that invade their privacy, embarrass them, or have a negative impact on their ego or status.
D)none of the above

Question 55

Which of the following statements is not an advantage of online focus groups?

A)The researcher can reach segments that are usually hard to survey.
B)Researchers can re-contact group participants at a later date.
C)The cost of the online focus group is much less.
D)Only people that have and know how to use a computer can participate.

Question 56

Focus groups can use several variations of the standard procedure. Which of the following is not one of the variations mentioned in your text?

A)respondent-moderator group
B)client-participant group
C)tag-team moderator group
D)mini-group

Question 57

The ________ is one type of qualitative research in which the purposes of the project are disclosed to the respondent or are obvious, given the nature of the interview.

A)indirect approach
B)direct approach
C)focus group approach
D)descriptive approach

Question 58

Focus groups are a(n)________ research procedure and projective techniques are a(n)________ research procedure.

A)experimental; direct
B)indirect; direct
C)direct; experimental
D)direct; indirect

Question 59

Which of the following is not one of the key qualifications of focus group moderators?

A)joviality
B)kindness with firmness
C)flexibility
D)sensitivity

Question 60

According to Table 5.1 in the text, which of the following does not apply to qualitative research?

A)a small number of nonrepresentative cases
B)non-statistical data analysis
C)unstructured form of data collection
D)outcome is used to recommend a final course of action

Question 61

With ________ respondents are presented with a list of words, one at a time.After each word, they are asked to give the first word that comes to mind.

A)word association
B)sentence completion
C)story completion
D)none of the above

Question 62

In a depth interview, the interviewer should ________.

A)not accept brief "yes" or "no" answers
B)not probe the respondent
C)ask questions in an informative manner
D)A and C are both correct

Question 63

________ is a type of depth interview that attempts to locate personal sore spots related to deeply felt personal concerns.

A)Hidden issue questioning
B)Symbolic analysis
C)Laddering
D)None of the above

Question 64

In a study the researcher was investigating attitudes toward airlines among male middle managers. Questions asked included, "What would it be like if you could no longer use airplanes?" Responses like, "Without planes, I would have to rely on e-mail, letters, and telephone calls" were received. This suggests that what airlines sell to the managers is face-to-face communication. The depth interview techniques used in the study is called ________.

A)hidden issue questioning
B)symbolic analysis
C)laddering
D)none of the above

Question 65

A ________ is an unstructured, direct, personal interview in which a single respondent is probed by a highly skilled interviewer to uncover underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings on a topic.

A)focus group
B)qualitative interview
C)projective interview
D)depth interview

Question 66

In a study the researcher was investigating attitudes toward airlines among male middle managers. Each airline attribute, such as wide-body aircrafts, was probed (why do you like to travel in wide-body aircrafts?)to determine why it was important (I can get more work done)and then that reason was probed (I accomplish more), and so on (I feel good about myself). The depth interview techniques used in the study is called ________.

A)hidden issue questioning
B)symbolic analysis
C)laddering
D)none of the above

Question 67

In a depth interview, the interviewer should ________.

A)avoid appearing superior and put the respondent at ease
B)be detached and objective, yet personable
C)probe the respondent
D)all of the above

Question 68

________ is a projective technique in which respondents are presented with a number of incomplete sentences and asked to complete them.

A)Word association
B)Sentence completion
C)Story completion
D)Expression completion

Question 69

________ is a projective technique that requires the respondent to complete an incomplete stimulus situation.

A)Association technique
B)Expressive technique
C)Construction technique
D)Completion technique

Question 70

A(n)________ is an unstructured, indirect form of questioning that encourages respondents to project their underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, or feelings regarding the issues of concern.

A)projective technique
B)focus group
C)association technique
D)depth interview

Question 71

________ is a projective technique in which the respondents are provided with part of a story and required to give the conclusion in their own words.

A)Word association
B)Sentence completion
C)Story completion
D)Expression completion

Question 72

________ is a technique for conducting depth interviews in which the symbolic meaning of objects is analyzed by comparing them with their opposites.

A)Hidden issue questioning
B)Symbolic analysis
C)Laddering
D)None of the above

Question 73

Depth interviews suffer from many of the disadvantages of focus groups and often to a greater extent. Which of the following disadvantages is not shared with focus groups?

A)Skilled interviewers capable of conducting depth interviews are expensive and difficult to find.
B)The lack of structure makes the results susceptible to the interviewer's influence.
C)The data obtained are difficult to analyze and interpret.
D)All of the above are shared with focus groups.

Question 74

In ________, an individual is presented with a stimulus and asked to respond with the first thing that comes to mind.

A)completion techniques
B)focus groups
C)association techniques
D)depth interviews

Question 75

________ is a technique for conducting depth interviews in which a line of questioning proceeds from product characteristics to user characteristics.

A)Hidden issue questioning
B)Symbolic analysis
C)Laddering
D)None of the above

Question 76

"Why do you say that?", "That's interesting, can you tell me more?" or, "Would you like to add anything else?" are examples of ________.

A)focusing
B)projecting
C)probing
D)none of the above

Question 77

Which of the situations mentioned below is not suitable for online focus groups?

A)highly emotional issues
B)companies that use the Internet to sell products or services and want to either gain market share or gather intelligence
C)corporations that want to gather feedback on workplace issues like downsizing, job changes, and diversity
D)none of the above

Question 78

Depth interviews are like focus group in all of the following ways except________.

A)both are unstructured interviews
B)both are direct ways of obtaining information
C)both are qualitative research methods
D)both are one-on-one interviews

Question 79

Word association is the best known of the ________ techniques.

A)expressive
B)association
C)completion
D)construction

Question 80

In word association, responses are analyzed by calculating ________.

A)the frequency with which any word is given as a response
B)the amount of time that elapses before a response is given
C)the number of respondents who do not respond at all to a test word within a reasonable period of time
D)all of the above