Deck 7: Causal Research Design

Question 1

If in test marketing a new product, the researcher ensures that the product is positioned in the correct aisle in each store and obtains the right level of store acceptance and all commodity volume distribution, more than likely, the researcher used to help control for extraneous variables.

A) design control
B) randomization
C) statistical control
D) matching

Answer 1

A

Question 2

involves measuring the extraneous variables and adjusting for their effects through statistical analysis.

A) Design control
B) Matching
C) Statistical control
D) Randomization

Answer 2

C

Question 3

refers to an extraneous variable that occurs when test units with extreme scores move closer to the average score during the course of the experiment.

A) Instrumentation
B) Statistical regression
C) Selection bias
D) None of the above

Answer 3

B

Question 4

$\begin{array} { l l l l l } \mathrm { EG } : & \mathrm { R } & \mathrm { O } _ { 1 } & \mathrm { X } & \mathrm { O } _ { 2 } \\\mathrm { CG } : & \mathrm { R } & \mathrm { O } _ { 3 } & & \mathrm { O } _ { 4 }\end{array}$ In the pretest- posttest control group design shown above, selection bias is eliminated by _ .

A) randomization
B) matching
C) statistical control
D) design control

Question 5

The major weakness of the time series design is the failure to control .

A) history
B) mortality
C) instrumentation
D) selection bias

Question 6

What is the main limitation of randomized block designs?

A) The number of treatment combinations increases multiplicatively with an increase in the number of variables or levels.
B) They require an equal number of rows, columns, and treatment levels, which is sometimes problematic.
C) They do not allow the researcher to examine interactions of the external variables with each other or with the independent variable.
D) The researcher can control for only one external variable.

Question 7

is a statistical design in which the test units are blocked on the basis of an external variable to ensure that the various experimental and control groups are matched closely on that variable.

A) Solomon four- group design
B) Latin square design
C) Randomized block design
D) Factorial design

Question 8

Which of the following statements is not true concerning the time order of occurrence of variables?

A) In an after- the- fact examination of the situation, we can never confidently rule out all other causal factors.
B) It is possible for each event in a relationship to be both a cause and an effect of the other event.
C) The causing event must occur either before or simultaneously with the effect; it cannot occur afterwards.
D) An effect cannot be produced by an event that occurs after the effect has taken place.

Question 9

Using the set of symbols commonly used in marketing research to denote experimental designs, which symbol below represents the exposure of a group to an independent variable, treatment, or event the effects of which are to be determined?

A) T
B) O
C) R
D) X

Question 10

Which statement is not true about laboratory experiments?

A) Laboratory experiments allow for more complex designs than field experiments.
B) Laboratory experiments are likely to have higher external validity than field experiments.
C) The laboratory environment offers a high degree of control because it isolates the experiment in a carefully monitored environment.
D) The artificiality of the environment may cause reactive error, in that the respondents react to the situation itself, rather than to the independent variable.

Question 11

The scientific concept of causality is complex. "Causality" means something very different to the average person on the street than to a scientist. If the ordinary meaning of a statement is "X is the only cause of Y," its related scientific meaning is: .

A) we can never prove that X is a cause of Y. At best, we can infer that X is a cause of Y
B) the occurrence of X makes the occurrence of Y
C) X is only one of a number of possible causes of Y
D) None of the above is correct.

Question 12

The above design is an example of a _.

A) multiple time series design
B) time series design
C) one group pretest- posttest design
D) pretest- posttest control group design

Question 13

What is the main disadvantage of factorial designs?

A) They require an equal number of rows, columns, and treatment levels, which is sometimes problematic.
B) The number of treatment combinations increases multiplicatively with an increase in the number of variables or levels.
C) The researcher can control for only one external variable.
D) They do not allow the researcher to examine interactions of the external variables with each other or with the independent variable.

Question 14

When considering , accumulated evidence from several investigations increases our confidence that a causal relationship exists.

A) the elimination of other possible factors
B) the role of evidence
C) concomitant variation
D) the time order of occurrence of variables

Question 15

A _ _ is a test market in which the product is sold through regular distribution channels.

A) Standard test market
B) Partial test market
C) Controlled test market
D) Simulated test market

Question 16

Which of the following is not true about the debriefing procedure?

A) Inform the respondents at the beginning that the experiment has been disguised.
B) After the data have been collected, the true purpose of the study and the nature of the disguise should be fully explained to the respondents and they should be given an opportunity to withdraw their information.
C) Debriefing can alleviate stress and make the experiment a learning experience for the respondents.
D) Both A and C are not true.

Question 17

The statement "An effect cannot be produced by an event that occurs after the effect has taken place," refers to .

A) the role of evidence
B) concomitant variation
C) the time order of occurrence of variables
D) the elimination of other possible factors

Question 18

The one- group pretest- posttest is a type of . These designs do not control for extraneous factors by randomization.

A) quasi- experimental design
B) preexperimental design
C) true experimental design
D) statistical design

Question 19

In the posttest- only control group design, the treatment effect (TE) is obtained by .

A) TE = O₁ B) TE = (O₁ - O₂) _- (O₃ - O₄)
C) TE = O₁ - O₂ D) TE = (O₂ - O₁) _- (O₄ - O₃)

Question 20

Experimental design is the set of experimental procedures specifying the test units and sampling procedures and all of the following except .

A) specifying the dependent variables
B) specifying how to control the extraneous variables
C) specifying the plan for data analysis
D) specifying the independent variables

Question 21

A design to measure the effectiveness of a test commercial for Sears would be implemented as follows. Two groups of respondents would be recruited on the basis of convenience. Only the experimental group would be exposed to the TV program containing the test (Sears) commercial. Then attitudes toward the department store of both the experimental and control group respondents would be measured. The effectiveness of the test commercial is measured as O₁ - O₂.

A) pretest- posttest control group
B) one- shot case study
C) static group
D) one- group pretest- posttest

Question 22

is a measure of accuracy of an experiment. It measures whether the manipulation of the independent variables, or treatments, actually caused the effects on the dependent variable(s).

A) Extraneous validity
B) Internal validity
C) External validity
D) None of the above

Question 23

Which of the following statements is an advantage of statistical designs?

A) The effects of more than one independent variable can be measured.
B) Economical designs can be formulated when each test unit is measured more than once.
C) Specific extraneous variables can be statistically controlled.
D) All of the statements are advantages.

Question 24

Pretest- posttest control group and Solomon four- group designs are distinguished by the fact that the researcher can randomly assign test units to experimental groups and also randomly assign treatments to experimental groups.

A) preexperimental designs
B) statistical designs
C) true experimental designs
D) quasi- experimental designs

Question 25

Which of the following statements is true about the Solomon four- group design?

A) The Solomon four- group design explicitly controls for interactive testing effect.
B) The Solomon four- group design is expensive and time consuming to implement.
C) The Solomon four- group design should be used to examine the changes in the attitudes of individual respondents.
D) All of the above statements are true.

Question 26

$$\begin{array} { l l l l } \mathrm { EG } : & \mathrm { R } & \mathrm { X } & \mathrm { O } _ { 1 } \\\mathrm { CG } : & \mathrm { R } & & \mathrm { O } _ { 2 }\end{array}$$ The true experimental design shown above is a design.

A) one- group pretest- posttest
B) one- shot case study
C) pretest- posttest control group
D) post- test- only control group

Question 27

refers to an extraneous variable involving changes in the measuring instrument or in the observers or scores themselves.

A) Instrumentation
B) Statistical regression
C) Selection bias
D) None of the above

Question 28

means that the factor or variable being investigated should be the only possible causal explanation.

A) The absence of other possible causal factors
B) The role of evidence
C) The time order of occurrence of variables
D) Concomitant variation

Question 29

Which of the following is a reason why experiments may be hard to administer?

A) It may be impossible to control for the effects of the extraneous variables.
B) Competitors may deliberately contaminate the results of a field experiment.
C) Both A and B are reasons why experiments may be hard to administer.
D) Neither A nor B is a reason why experiments may be hard to administer.

Question 30

Using the set of symbols commonly used in marketing research to denote experimental designs, which symbol below represents the random assignment of test units or groups to separate treatments?

A) T
B) O
C) R
D) X

Question 31

refers to an effect in which a prior measurement affects the test unit's response to the independent variable.

A) Mortality
B) Interactive testing effect
C) Maturation
D) Main testing effect

Question 32

result when the researcher is unable to achieve full manipulation of scheduling or allocation of treatments to test units but can still apply part of the apparatus of true experimentation.

A) Quasi- experimental designs
B) Preexperimental designs
C) True experimental designs
D) Statistical designs

Question 33

Which of the following is an ethical concern associated with doing experiments?

A) ensuring that the appropriate experimental design for the problem was used
B) how to find respondents for the experiment
C) how to disguise the purpose of the research in a manner that does not violate the rights of the respondents
D) Both A and C are correct.

Question 34

is a statistical experimental design that is used to measure the effects of two or more independent variables at various levels and to allow for interactions between variables.

A) Factorial design
B) Solomon four- group design
C) Latin square design
D) Randomized block design

Question 35

Which statement is not true concerning a standard test market?

A) One or more combinations of marketing mix variables (product, price, distribution, and promotional levels) are employed.
B) Competitors often take actions such as increasing their promotional efforts to contaminate the test marketing program.
C) While a firm's test marketing is in progress, competitors have an opportunity to beat it to the national market.
D) All statements are correct.

Question 36

is the extent to which a cause, X, and an effect, Y, occur together or vary together in the way predicted by the hypothesis under consideration.

A) The time order of occurrence of variables
B) Concomitant variation
C) The elimination of other possible factors
D) The role of evidence

Question 37

Which statement is not true about why it is difficult to conduct field experiments in the international arena?

A) The lack of major supermarkets in the Baltic states makes it difficult to conduct field experiments to determine the effect of in- store promotions on the sales of products.
B) Even when basic infrastructures such as roads, transportation, and warehouse facilities are adequate, they do not help in achieving desired levels of distribution.
C) Even when experiments are designed, it is difficult to control for the time order of occurrence of variables and the absence of other possible causal factors, two of the necessary conditions for causality.
D) In many countries, the TV stations are owned and operated by the government with severe restrictions on television advertising. This makes field experiments manipulating advertising levels extremely difficult.

Question 38

is a determination of whether the cause- and- effect relationships found in the experiment can be generalized. Can the results be generalized beyond the experimental situation and if so, to what populations, settings, times, independent variables and dependent variables can the results be projected?

A) Extraneous validity
B) Internal validity
C) External validity
D) None of the above

Question 39

allow for the statistical control and analysis of external variables.

A) True experimental designs
B) Preexperimental designs
C) Quasi- experimental designs
D) Statistical designs

Question 40

refers to an effect of testing occurring when a prior observation affects a latter observation.

A) Mortality
B) Interactive testing effect
C) Maturation
D) Main testing effect

Question 41

Evidence of concomitant variation, time order of occurrence of variables, and elimination of other possible causal factors, when combined, demonstrate conclusively that a causal relationship exists.

Question 42

Also known as the after- only design, the one- shot case study may be symbolically represented as: X O₁.

Question 43

The static group is a two- group experimental design. One group, called the , is exposed to the treatment, and the other, called the , is not. Measurements on both groups are made only after the treatment, and test units are not assigned at random.

A) experimental group (EG); random group (RG)
B) control group (CG); experimental group (EG)
C) pretest group (PG); control group (CG)
D) experimental group (EG); control group (CG)

Question 44

The conditions that must be satisfied before making causal inferences include all of the following except .

A) elimination of other possible factors
B) concomitant variation
C) time order of occurrence of variables
D) role of evidence

Question 45

Which of the following statements is a limitation of Latin square designs?

A) They do not allow the researcher to examine interactions of the external variables with each other or with the independent variable.
B) They require an equal number of rows, columns, and treatment levels, which is sometimes problematic.
C) The researcher can control for only one external variable.
D) Both A and B are correct.

Question 46

refers to an extraneous variable attributable to the loss of test units while the experiment is in progress.

A) Interactive testing effect
B) Main testing effect
C) Maturation
D) Mortality

Question 47

A _ is a quasi- test market in which respondents are pre- selected, then interviewed and observed on their purchases and attitudes toward the product.

A) simulated test market
B) standard test market
C) partial test market
D) controlled test market

Question 48

Which statement is not true about simulated test markets?

A) While a firm's test marketing is in progress, competitors have an opportunity to beat it to the national market.
B) Competitors often take actions such as increasing their promotional efforts to contaminate the test marketing program.
C) They yield mathematical estimates of market share based on initial reaction of consumers to a new product.
D) Both A and B are not true about simulated test markets.

Question 49

Which of the following is true of the one- shot case study preexperimental design (X O₁)?

A) It does not provide a basis of comparing the level of O₁ to what would happen when X was absent.
B) There is no random assignment of test units.
C) In this design, a group of test units is measured twice.
D) Both A and B are correct.

Question 50

refers to an extraneous variable attributable to changes in the test units themselves that occur with the passage of time.

A) Mortality
B) Interactive testing effect
C) Maturation
D) Main testing effect

Question 51

If the experimental design called for the respondents to be randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups and for one of three versions of a test commercial to be randomly administered to each group, this design would be using .

A) matching
B) statistical control
C) design control
D) randomization

Question 52

Using the set of symbols commonly used in marketing research to denote experimental designs, which symbol below represents the process of observation or measurement of the dependent variable on the test units or group of units?

A) T
B) O
C) R
D) X

Question 53

The one- group pretest- posttest design may be symbolized as O₁ X₂ O_2. In this design, a group of test units is measured _.

A) once
B) twice
C) not at all
D) none of the above

Question 54

refers to an extraneous variable attributable to the improper assignment of test units to treatment conditions.

A) Instrumentation
B) Statistical regression
C) Selection bias
D) None of the above

Question 55

The effectiveness of a test commercial (X) may be examined by broadcasting the commercial a predetermined number of times and examining the data from a preexisting test panel. Although the marketer can control the scheduling of the test commercial, it is uncertain when or whether the panel members are exposed to it. The panel members' purchases before, during, and after the campaign are examined to determine whether the test commercial has a short- term effect, a long- term effect, or no effect. A design was used in this research project.

A) multiple time series design
B) one- group pretest- posttest design
C) pretest- posttest control group
D) time series

Question 56

Which of the following statements is true when considering experimental versus non- experimental designs?

A) Descriptive research offers little control over other possible causal factors.
B) In descriptive research, it is also difficult to establish time order of occurrence of variables. However, in an experiment, the researcher controls the timing of the measurements and the introduction of the treatment.
C) It is difficult in descriptive studies to establish the prior equivalence of the respondent groups with respect to both the independent and dependent variables. However, experiments can establish this equivalence.
D) All of the above statements are correct.

Question 57

A design to measure the effectiveness of a test commercial for Sears would be implemented as follows. Respondents are recruited to central theater locations in different test cities. At the central location, respondents are first administered a personal interview to measure, among other things, attitudes toward the store (O₁). Then they watch a TV program, the respondents are again administered a personal interview to measure attitudes towards the store (O₂). The effectiveness of the test commercial is measured as O₂ - O₁.

A) one- shot case study
B) static group
C) pretest- posttest control group
D) one- group pretest- posttest

Question 58

A _ is a test marketing program conducted by an outside research company in field experimentation. The research company guarantees distribution of the product in retail outlets that represent a pre- determined percentage of the market.

A) partial test market
B) standard test market
C) simulated test market
D) controlled test market

Question 59

Which statement is not true concerning a standard test market?

A) Test markets are selected and the product is sold through regular distribution channels.
B) Where external validity is important, at least four test markets should be used.
C) It is a one- shot case study.
D) All statements are correct.

Question 60

is a statistical design that allows for the statistical control of two non- interacting external variables in addition to the manipulation of the independent variable.

A) Latin square design
B) Solomon four- group design
C) Factorial design
D) Randomized block design

Question 61

The internal and external validity of field experiments conducted internationally varies.

Question 62

Factorial design is a true experimental design that is used to measure the effects of two or more independent variables at various levels and to allow for interactions between variables.

Question 63

Matching is a method of controlling extraneous variables that involve matching test units on a set of key background variables before assigning them to the treatment conditions.

Question 64

Evidence pertaining to concomitant variation can only be obtained in a qualitative manner.

Question 65

A field environment is synonymous with actual market conditions.

Question 66

Full experimental control is available in quasi- experimental designs; therefore, the researcher does
not need to take into account the specific variables that are not controlled.

Question 67

Price levels, package designs, and advertising themes are examples of independent variables manipulated by the researcher.

Question 68

To control for extraneous variables, a researcher may conduct an experiment in an artificial environment. This enhances external validity, but it may limit the generalizability of the results, thereby reducing internal validity.

Question 69

Field experiments have some advantages over laboratory experiments. The field experiment offers a high degree of control because it isolates the experiment in a carefully monitored environment.

Question 70

Experimental designs may be classified as preexperimental, true experimental, quasi- experimental, or statistical.

Question 71

Concomitant variation is the extent to which a cause, X, and an effect, Y, occur together or vary together in the way predicted by the hypothesis under consideration.

Question 72

Descriptive survey studies do not meet all conditions required for causality.

Question 73

Causality refers to when the occurrence of X causes the occurrence of Y.

Question 74

The everyday meaning of causality is more appropriate to marketing research than is the scientific meaning.

Question 75

The conditions of concomitant variation, time order of occurrence of variables, and elimination of other possible causal factors are necessary, but not sufficient, to demonstrate causality.

Question 76

Quasi- experimental designs are useful because they can be used in cases when true experimentation cannot, and because they are quicker and less expensive.

Question 77

An experiment is formed when the researcher manipulates one or more dependent variables and measures their effect on one or more independent variables, while controlling for the effect of extraneous variables.

Question 78

The distinguishing feature of the true experimental designs, as compared to preexperimental designs, is lack of randomization.

Question 79

The Internet can provide a mechanism for controlled experimentation, although in a laboratory type of environment.

Question 80

Extraneous variables are also called confounding variables because unless they are controlled for, they affect the independent variable and thus confound the results.