Deck 13: Experimentation

Question 1

Experiments are defined as studies in which implementation involves an intervention by the observer beyond that required for measurement.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

When there is a high degree of association between an action and an outcome, the order in which the action and the outcome occurred is irrelevant to the question of causality.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The internal validity of an experiment depends on the extent to which competing explanations for the results are avoided.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

In an advertising effectiveness experiment, a researcher is faced with the question of whether sales increased because of advertising or because of economic or competitive changes in the marketplace. This question involves the internal validity of the experiment.

Question 5

The history effect occurs when events external to an experiment affect the responses of the subjects.

Question 6

Marketing intelligence is primarily about causal relationships between a host of independent variables and their effect on dependent variables

Question 7

If two variables are causally linked, they need not be associated

Question 8

A researcher studying the effectiveness of advertising copy tested various groups of randomly selected respondents.After the first interviews, the researcher modified the questionnaire for use with the remaining respondents.The results of this study may be compromised by the maturation effect.

Question 9

For a study to be called an "experiment," it is necessary that the researchers have complete control over all of the relevant variables.

Question 10

Laboratory experiments give the researcher greater control over the experiment but less internal validity than do field experiments.

Question 11

While choosing the experimental design, researchers need to consider the sample size, a suitable run order for the trials, and whether randomization restrictions are involved.

Question 12

Descriptive studies can usually be used in place of experiments to infer and to confirm the existence of a causal relationship.

Question 13

Experiments are used to detect or to confirm causal relationships and to quantify them.

Question 14

In marketing studies, the primary source of history effects is the behavior of competitors.

Question 15

Interaction effect of testing, multiple treatment inference, reactive effects of experimental arrangements threaten the internal validity of an experiment

Question 16

A causal relationship between an action and an outcome has been confirmed whenever there is evidence of a strong association between the two and evidence that the action preceded the outcome.

Question 17

Because the validity issue in any experiment is so important, the researcher is justified in going to any expense to guarantee validity.

Question 18

Laboratory experiments are conducted in a natural setting, where the respondents are usually not aware that an experiment is taking place.

Question 19

A high degree of association between two variables, such as frequency of advertising exposure and respondent advertising recall, establishes a causal relationship between the two.

Question 20

Field experiments tend to have much greater external validity than laboratory experiments.This means that to a greater extent their causal inferences can be generalized from the experimental environment to the actual marketing environment.

Question 21

One approach to reducing selection bias is to match the control and the experimental groups.

Question 22

This study is an example of the before-after design.

Question 23

Randomization should always be used when the number of dimension on which groups are to be matched is small two or three).

Question 24

Experimental designs that adopt a random assignment procedure are called true experiments.

Question 25

In the following before-after randomized control group design, the output of interest would be the difference between 0₁ - 0₃ and O₂ - 0₄. R 0₁ X 0₂ --------------- R 0₃ 0₄

Question 26

A marketing research manager, who wants to reduce the cost of experimentation, decides to use the Latin square design.This decision is based on the assumption that any interaction between variables can be ignored.

Question 27

In non-matched control group designs, one group is exposed to treatment while another is not.The response variable is measured in the two sample groups at the end of the experiment.This solves the problem of selection bias.

Question 28

Direct mail tests of advertising appeals are an ideal setting for the randomized control group design.

Question 29

A researcher studying the effects of several control variables is faced with the problem of increasing sample size and increasing cost.The usual solution is the before-after design.

Question 30

Maturation involves changes in respondents that are a consequence of time, such as aging, or getting hungry or tired.

Question 31

With the Solomon Four Group design, it is possible to measure the interaction of the treatment and before-measure effects by looking at 0₂ - 0₄) - 0₅ - 0₆)).

Question 32

As the sample size decreases, the degree of matching achieved by randomization will increase.

Question 33

The before-after randomized control group design eliminates the before-measure effect.

Question 34

The factorial design allows a researcher to determine the effect of two variables in one experiment.It can determine main effects and interactive effects.

Question 35

A matched control group may be represented as M X 0₁ -------- M O₂

Question 36

The following is a Solomon Four-Group design.Because groups III and IV do not have a before-measure, they cannot be regarded as experimental groups. R 0₁ X 0₂ --------------- R 0₃ 0₄ --------------- R X 0₅ --------------- R 0₆

Question 37

A researcher is using a full factorial design to test the effects of four variables, each of which has two levels.The least number of conditions to be tested is 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 or 16.

Question 38

Because the respondents in the smoking study above had become familiar with the measuring instrument, the results of the study are threatened by the instrumentation effect.

Question 39

The internal validity of the smoking study above is threatened by the before-measure effect.

Question 40

The internal validity of the smoking study above is threatened by the mortality effect.

Question 41

Trend studies are most useful when a researcher is testing hypotheses concerning an individual's response to a control variable.

Question 42

One way to address causality is to consider the time lag between cause and effect.

Question 43

Trend studies and continuous panel studies are two examples of time series designs.

Question 44

One reason that an association between advertising and attitudes may be explained by an ownership variable is the difference between the composition of ownership groups with positive and negative attitudes.

Question 45

In the absence of a true experiment, there is no way to adequately control for an identified intervening variable.

Question 46

Causation means that a change in one variable will produce a change in another

Question 47

Classical designs can be further categorized into three groups: Pre-experimental, Quasi-experimental, and true experimental groups.

Question 48

The advantage of randomization in experimental control is that it will control for both known and unknown variables.

Question 49

Even if a true experiment is conducted, there is no way to adequately control for an unidentified intervening variable.

Question 50

The before-measure effect is a potential threat to the internal validity of continuous panel data.

Question 51

Progressive Marketers Incorporated found no third variable involved in the association between sales and advertising.It can, therefore, be concluded that the relationship is of the form: advertising sales.

Question 52

Variables, other than the manipulated variable, that affect the response of test units is called extraneous variables.

Question 53

Trend studies are measures over time that come from a succession of separate random samples from the same population.

Question 54

If the composition of two ownership groups with respect to positive and negative attitudes) is identical, an association between advertising and attitudes would not be affected by the introduction of the ownership variable.

Question 55

The group of subjects exposed to the experimental treatment is termed as control group.

Question 56

If variables X and Y are strongly associated, then a causal relationship between X and Y must exist.

Question 57

Causation is established when two variables vary concomitantly.

Question 58

All the hypotheses in a descriptive study must be fully developed before the data analysis stage.

Question 59

Continuous panel studies are especially useful in gaining insights into choice behavior for product categories in which stable sales often obscure large but compensating gains and losses of individual buyers.

Question 60

The key of experimental work is manipulation of a treatment variable followed by observation of the response variable.

Question 61

To infer a causal relationship, which of the following types of evidence does a researcher need?

A)Evidence of a strong association between an action and an outcome.
B)Evidence that the action preceded the outcome.
C)Evidence of a high level of internal validity.
D)Evidence that there are no strongly competing explanations for the relationship between an action and an outcome.
E)All of these

Question 62

One approach to reducing selection bias is to

A)include a control group.
B)match the experimental and control groups.
C)include volunteers as respondents.
D)use a continuous panel.
E)none of the above.

Question 63

Randomized control group designs

A)simultaneously match test and control groups on all dimensions when the sample size is sufficient.
B)are sometimes called true experimental designs.
C)ensure that sample groups will tend to be similar.
D)can be represented as R X O₁
--------------
R O₂
E)all of these.

Question 64

In a full factorial design involving three promotion alternatives, three price levels, and four types of advertising, how many conditions would have to be tested?

A)10
B)20
C)24
D)36
E)none of the above

Question 65

When it is not possible to make sure that groups in a study have identical characteristics before the administration of an experimental treatment, the researcher should be concerned with

A)testing effects.
B)interaction.
C)selection bias.
D)maturation effects.
E)history effects.

Question 66

Threats to the validity of continuous panel data include which of the following?

A)history effects.
B)instrumentation effects.
C)before-measure effects.
D)nonrandom selection.
E)all of these.

Question 67

Which of the following designs corrects for all forms of biases in responses? a) one shot framework b) pretest-posttest descriptive framework c) pretest-posttest causal framework d) Solomon four group design e) none of the above

Question 68

In the textbook notation for experimental design

A)X represents control group respondents.
B)X refers to the method employed to measure the response variable.
C)O represents the exposure of a respondent to an experimental treatment.
D)X represents the exposure of a group to an experiential treatment whose effect is to be observed, and O represents the observation
Or measurement taken on the group.
E)O₁ and O₂ represent the matching of experimental and control groups.

Question 69

The key question in a trend study is

A)whether maturation has invalidated the results.
B)whether the measurements following the experimental treatment are a continuation of earlier patterns or mark a decisive change.
C)whether a single random sample or a succession of samples has been used.
D)how the behavior and attitudes of one respondent differ from those of another.
E)all of these.

Question 70

The main advantage of experimental research over non experimental research is a) it is easier to control the dependent variable b) cause and effect relations can be tested c) interaction between variables do not confound the study d) one can collect more accurate information on the problem e) none of the above

Question 71

The question of whether the results of an experiment apply to the real world refers to

A)external validity.
B)internal validity.
C)history effects.
D)interaction effects.
E)none of the above.

Question 72

The longer the time period involved in the experiment, the
a.1
b.2
c.3
d.4
e.1 and 4

Question 73

To infer a causal relationship, which of the following types of evidence does a researcher need?

A)Evidence of a strong association between an action and an outcome.
B)Evidence that the action preceded the outcome.
C)Evidence of a high level of internal validity.
D)Evidence that there are no strongly competing explanations for the relationship between an action and an outcome.
E)All of these

Question 74

The Committee for Arts and Lectures CAL) wants to test different promotions for a series of plays.Which statement is true about the following experiment? R X₁ O₁ --------------- R X₂ O₂ --------------- R X₃ O₃ --------------

A)It compares three treatment levels, corresponding to three "levels" of promotion.
B)X₁ refers to the observation or measurement of the first group.
C)It includes a separate control group.
D)It can be classified as a matched control group design.
E)None of the above.

Question 75

An advantage of ___________in experimentation is that no knowledge is necessary of extraneous variables that could possibly influence the results. a) randomizing b) eliminating c) equalizing d) balancing

Question 76

The ABC Company maintains records of brand share attained in each of its sales regions.It does so by surveying retail stores in these regions every quarter.The company is using an)

A)exploratory design.
B)time series experimental design.
C)"try-it-out" design.
D)Solomon Four Group design.
E)none of the above.

Question 77

Which of the following is true about history effects?

Question 78

One of the advantages of a non-matched control group design is the control of

A)interaction and maturation effects.
B)maturation and instrumentation effects.
C)history and maturation effects.
D)instrumentation and mortality effects.
E)selection bias.

Question 79

Which of the following is more likely to provide evidence of a causal relationship between two variables? a) an experiment b) descriptive research c) exploratory research d) cross-sectional analysis e) non experimental research

Question 80

The marketing researcher for a game company is conducting an experiment to test customer reaction to the pricing of a new game designed for use by adults.A list of customers who had sent the company complaint letters was readily available, and the researcher rearranged this list by ZIP code, sending every third person a color brochure on the new game.Each respondent was asked to return a postcard, stating an intention to purchase or not to purchase the game at the listed price.Which of the following is true?

A)The sampling method ensures that all geographic areas are represented.
B)The external validity of the study is ensured, since respondents who are sitting in their homes are reacting under real life circumstances.
C)The sample is likely to over-represent the lower class.
D)The design of the study suffers from selection bias.
E)None of the above.