Deck 21: Multidimensional Scaling and Conjoint Analysis

Question 1

Multidimensional scaling involves two steps.First, objects need to be positioned.Second, the dimensions upon which customers perceive or evaluate objects must be determined.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The greater the number of objects to be mapped, the smaller the chance of a possibly unique mapping solution.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The product "widget" is marketed by ten companies under at least 14 brand names.It is generally agreed that consumers perceive and evaluate the widgets as a whole.Under the circumstances, the results of an attribute-based MDS solution will be more valid than a non-attribute-based MDS solution.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Non-attribute-based similarity MDS solutions have the advantage of producing dimensions that are easy to interpret.

Question 5

If MDS is used to group individuals, the assumption has been made that their perceptions are similar.

Question 6

Two objects could be very different in a similarity-based perceptual map, but could be regarded as very similar in a preference-based perceptual map.

Question 7

Consider the following MDS solution, in which A, B, C and D represent brands of a product class. The solution implies that B is sweeter than D but less creamy than A.

Question 8

A few respondents who are unfamiliar with the objects to be mapped should be included in generating a perceptual map to ensure adequate representation of the population.

Question 9

An ideal object is one the customer would prefer over all other objects included in the space.An ideal object need not actually exist.

Question 10

Multidimensional scaling addresses the general problem of positioning objects in a perceptual space.

Question 11

If there are 10 brands of a certain product on which the researcher wants similarity judgments from a respondent, as many as 45 paired judgments can be required.This maximum is determined by the formula nn - 1) / 2.

Question 12

Two of the approaches used to reduce the number of attributes on which brands of a product are ranked are discriminant analysis and multiple regression analysis.

Question 13

When there is a need to reduce the number of attributes in a study, factor analysis has an advantage over discriminant analysis in that a significance test can be done of the output of factor analysis.

Question 14

In a scaling solution, the most frequent trade-off is between minimizing the number of dimensions in the solution and maximizing the degree of fit.

Question 15

MDS Incorporated has sent out questionnaires to respondents to rank five brands of toothpaste on their ability to clean and whiten, to prevent decay, and to freshen the mouth.MDS Incorporated is using an attribute-based approach.

Question 16

Conjoint analysis provides a qualitative measurement of the relative importance of one attribute as compared with another.

Question 17

Before introducing a new product, Innovators Incorporated conducted a preference study.The data were analyzed by using an ideal-point MDS solution.The company then designed and introduced a product which was extremely "close" to the target market's ideal point. However, since a new product has been introduced into the space, another study should be done since the ideal point may have been relocated.

Question 18

In the economic theory of consumer behavior, a basic underlying assumption is that of non-satiation the consumer would always like to have more..Under this assumption, the ideal object would be represented by an ideal vector or direction rather than an ideal point in the space.

Question 19

A source of error results with an attribute-based MDS if the list of attributes is not accurate and complete.

Question 20

If the input to MDS is binary data, is an attribute associated with an object or not? The appropriate MDS technique is called canonical analysis.

Question 21

The pair-wise trade-off approach produces concepts that are more realistic than those of the full profile approach.

Question 22

When utilities are summed for each of the concepts being judged, the rank order of these sums should match the respondent's rank ordering of preference as closely as possible.

Question 23

The greater the difference between the highest and lowest valued levels of an attribute, the less important the attribute.

Question 24

A basic assumption of conjoint analysis is that people evaluate a concept by adding up their evaluations of the individual attribute levels of that concept.

Question 25

In theory, before respondents can knowledgeably make trade-offs, they must compare different attributes and evaluate the desirability of the various levels of each attribute.

Question 26

Conjoint analysis has been found to have reliability problems in that different implications tend to arise if the full profile method is used instead of the trade-off approach.

Question 27

A limitation in the use of conjoint analysis is the necessity of dividing each attribute level into discrete levels.

Question 28

Respondents who are overwhelmed by a ranking task will tend to ignore variations in the less important attributes.

Question 29

When preferences for various attributes are in conflict, conjoint analysis cannot be used.

Question 30

In conjoint analysis, respondents are given product concepts on cards and asked to describe the attributes they attach to each concept.

Question 31

A trade-off is made by giving up some amount of a less important attribute to get more of a more important attribute.

Question 32

In the full profile approach, respondents may be asked to rank order cards with complete product or service configurations.

Question 33

One of the applications of conjoint analysis is to the creation of new products with significant consumer appeal relative to competitive alternatives.

Question 34

Conjoint analysis assumes interaction between attributes.

Question 35

The independent variable in conjoint analysis is the preference judgment that a respondent makes about a new concept.

Question 36

Factor analysis groups attributes that are similar

Question 37

If all of the possible levels of an attribute have the same utility, the attribute is not important in influencing overall attitude.

Question 38

When each attribute is considered independently, respondents tend to indicate that only a few attributes are important.

Question 39

Conjoint analysis, although intuitively appealing, has been slow to gain acceptance in the marketing research community.

Question 40

Utility measurements from conjoint analysis can be used to develop marketing simulations.

Question 41

Which of the following statements is not true?

A)Conjoint analysis is termed an analysis of interdependence technique.
B)Conjoint analysis requires a respondent to evaluate a concept in terms of overall liking, intention to buy, or rank order of
Preference compared to other concepts.
C)Using conjoint analysis, a researcher can identify optimal levels of attributes for new products.
D)Conjoint analysis decomposes the consumer's overall judgment into utilities that represent the worth of each level of each
Attribute relative to the other levels.
E)Total utility of a more preferred combination of attributes should always be greater than the total utility of a less
Preferred combination.

Question 42

Multidimensional scaling attempts to

A)map consumers' perceptions and preferences for objects or their attributes.
B)provide spatial relationships of objective data.
C)map and transform distances.
D)evaluate the positive and negative aspects of existing brands of a product.
E)provide a perceptual map in the maximum number of dimensions possible.

Question 43

Which of the following situations would present difficulty for conjoint analysis?

A)A manager wants to present potential customers with a range of attribute levels beyond those available in products on the
Market.
B)Most of the feasible attribute levels for the product being studied do not exist.
C)The product being studied is a low-priced, low-risk product, which consumers tend to pick up and buy with little thought.
D)The alternative products being studied each have a number of attributes with two or more levels.
E)None of the above.

Question 44

Discriminant analysis does not provide a test of statistical significance

Question 45

An approach in which the respondents are given cards that describe complete product or service configurations is called

A)Trade off approach
B)Full profile approach
C)Conjoint analysis
D)Direct approach
E)None of the above

Question 46

Which of the following statements concerning the full profile approach is not true?

A)It provides a more realistic description of the concepts since all aspects are considered at the same time.
B)It yields a somewhat higher predictive validity than does the trade-off approach.
C)The concept evaluation task can employed either a ranking or a rating scale.
D)Fewer judgments have to be made by the respondent than if a two-attribute, trade-off approach were used.
E)All of these are true.

Question 47

Collecting trade-off data with the full profile approach

A)requires presentation of all possible combinations of attribute levels.
B)cannot be done by mail questionnaire.
C)requires respondents to rank each combination of levels of two attributes from most preferred to least preferred.
D)often requires more judgments than the trade-off approach two attributes simultaneously).
E)none of the above.

Question 48

In order to be able to make trade-offs, the respondents must theoretically be able to 1-compare different attributes. 2-evaluate the desirability of the various levels of each attribute. 3-evaluate all the different products on the market on all attributes.

A)1
B)2
C)3
D)1, 2, and 3
E)1 and 2

Question 49

In MDS, objects cannot be projected onto two, three, four or even higher dimensions.

Question 50

Number of dimensions in an MDS cannot be decided using

A)ease of use
B)external validity of solution
C)interpretability of data
D)none of the above

Question 51

Which of the following is an appropriate use of conjoint analysis?

A)To help select the features on a new product
B)To help set prices
C)To help predict the sales level of a new product
D)To help predict the usage level of a new product
E)All of these are appropriate uses of conjoint analysis.

Question 52

The objective of multidimensional scaling is

A)predict buying or usage of product that may still be in concept stage
B)to address the general problem of positioning objects in perceptual space
C)group individuals or objects into groups
D)none of the above