Deck 4: Exploratory and Observational Research Designs and Data Collection Approaches

Question 1

An advantage of focus groups includes all of the following, EXCEPT:

A)spontaneous, unrestricted group interaction among members.
B)eliciting wide-ranging participant responses.
C)high reliability of the results.
D)energetic atmosphere for focus group discussions.
E)ability to bring together difficult groups who normally would not participate in a study.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Alex is an accomplished quantitative researcher. At one point, he discovered that he was simultaneously working on four different projects whereas his colleague who specialized in qualitative research was working on only one project. The objectives of all these studies are listed below. Which of the following studies was Alex's friend working on?

A)To uncover deep underlying motives behind people's buying behaviors.
B)To make accurate predictions about relationships between market forces and purchase behavior.
C)To validate the relationship between advertising expenses and sales volume.
D)To make generalizable observations about a target population's buying behavior.
E)To test a hypothesis linking coupon value to brand preference.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

After conducting her first in-depth interview, Amanda summarizes her initial thoughts and in particular, writes down themes and ideas that may be used later in coding transcripts. This process is referred to as:

A)memoing.
B)debriefing.
C)netnography.
D)ethnography.
E)memography.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In conducting an in-depth interview, the questions are arranged so as to ensure a logical flow from "general" to "specific" questions within topic areas. This activity is carried out in:

A)step 1 of the in-depth interview.
B)step 2 of the in-depth interview.
C)step 3 of the in-depth interview.
D)step 4 of the in-depth interview.
E)step 5 of the in-depth interview.

Question 5

Quantitative research methods are characterized by:

A)small samples.
B)unstructured questions.
C)subjective analyses.
D)preliminary insights.
E)descriptive and casual designs.

Question 6

Purposive sampling means:

A)selecting sample members to study because they possess attributes important to understanding the research topic.
B)selecting sample members so that groups can be compared.
C)selecting sample members based on earlier interviews.
D)selecting particular types of participants to help researchers better understand the research topic.
E)selecting sample participants who are spontaneous on discussion on a particular topic or concept.

Question 7

Debriefing is conducted during which phase of the focus group interview?

A)Planning the study
B)Conducting the discussions
C)Analyzing and reporting the results
D)Identifying participants
E)Writing the moderator's guide

Question 8

A moderator's guide is:

A)the interviewer's ability to articulate questions in a direct and clear manner.
B)a note attached on the back of the name cards for each participant.
C)a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and sub questions used by the moderator to lead the focus group session.
D)the interactive procedure, of the researcher and the moderator, discussing the subjects' comments and / or responses to the topics that outlined the focus group session.
E)the systematic procedure of taking individual responses and grouping them into larger theme categories or patterns of expressions.

Question 9

Debriefing analysis is:

A)a technique that encourages research participants to share emotional and subconscious reactions to a particular topic.
B)used by the researcher when discussing the ground rules with the focus group participants.
C)a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and sub questions used by the moderator to lead the focus group session.
D)an interactive procedure, of the researcher and the moderator, discussing the subjects' comments and / or responses to the topics that outlined the focus group session.
E)a systematic procedure of taking individual responses and grouping them into larger theme categories or patterns of expressions.

Question 10

Content analysis is:

A)the interviewer's ability to articulate questions in a direct and clear manner.
B)a process of collecting both attitudinal and behavioral data from a subject that spans all time frames.
C)a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and sub questions used by the moderator to lead the focus group session.
D)the interactive procedure, of the researcher and moderator, discussing the subjects' comments and / or responses to the topics that outlined the focus group session.
E)the systematic procedure of taking individual responses and grouping them into larger theme categories or patterns of expressions.

Question 11

In which of the following scenarios would you most strongly recommend using quantitative research?

A)When the objective is to identify new ideas and thoughts for a product.
B)When you have very limited time to execute the study.
C)When the objective is to understand hidden underlying psychological processes.
D)When the objective is to validate and estimate strength of a relationship.
E)When you have access to small samples.

Question 12

An in-depth interview:

A)is an extended contact with a natural setting, but without participation by the researcher.
B)asks a subject a set of semi-structured questions in a face-to-face setting.
C)has a higher likelihood of participants responding in a socially desirable manner.
D)is a formalized process of bringing a small group together for discussion on a particular topic.
E)is also called memoing.

Question 13

Which of the following is an advantage of using quantitative research over qualitative research?

A)Relatively quick data collection in most cases
B)Economical data collection
C)High reliability
D)Richness of the data
E)Accuracy of recording marketplace behaviors

Question 14

Suzanne is well-trained as a qualitative researcher. The area in which she is likely to be well trained is:

A)construct development.
B)hypothesis testing.
C)questionnaire design.
D)statistical data analysis.
E)use of projective techniques.

Question 15

It is common to do all of the following during the beginning of a focus group session, EXCEPT:

A)participants are told that only one person should speak at a time.
B)participants should try their best to give the right answers.
C)participants are asked to briefly introduce themselves.
D)participants are given some refreshments and an opportunity to engage in some small talk.
E)participants are told that everyone's opinions are equally valued.

Question 16

A researcher decides to use in-depth interviews over focus groups for her research study. All of the following could have motivated this decision, EXCEPT:

A)she wanted to cover richer details from each participant in the study.
B)she wanted to lower the likelihood of getting socially desirable responses from participants.
C)she wanted to create a situation where participants didn't feel like they had to impress others by their responses.
D)she wanted to hear from respondents who may feel inhibited in the presence of others.
E)she wanted the participants to build upon each others' responses.

Question 17

While interviewing a respondent about reasons why she doesn't buy a particular brand of video games, an interviewer gets the following response, "This brand's games are not sophisticated." The interviewer asks, "What exactly do you mean by that statement? What makes a game sophisticated?" This exchange is an example of:

A)a focus group moderation.
B)ethnography.
C)netnography.
D)probing question.
E)decision question.

Question 18

A focus group is:

A)an interview technique with the main objective of finding out how a subject would respond to a certain statement.
B)a formalized process of bringing a small selected group of people together for an interactive and spontaneous discussion on one particular topic or concept.
C)a detailed outline of the topics, questions, and sub-questions used by the moderator to lead the focus group session.
D)the interactive procedure between the researcher and moderator discussing the subjects' comments and / or responses to the topics that outlined the focus group session.
E)the systematic procedure of taking individual responses and grouping them into larger theme categories or patterns of expressions.

Question 19

Which one of the following statements about focus groups is NOT true?

A)It consists of 8 to 12 participants.
B)If more than 12 participants do show up, all should be allowed to participate.
C)It lasts for about 2 hours.
D)The format of the discussion is semi-structured.
E)Any size smaller than eight participants is not likely to generate synergy between participants.

Question 20

Marsha is getting ready to screen participants for her focus group study. Which of the following criteria is she most likely to ignore while selecting and recruiting participants?

A)Ask questions to identify candidates who might present a biased response.
B)Ask questions to identify candidates if they will be available to participate in other focus groups conducted by her firm from time to time.
C)Ask questions to make sure that the candidates met the demographic requirements.
D)Ask questions to identify if the candidates are willing to discuss the issue at hand openly.
E)Ask questions to check candidates' availability to meet at the scheduled time.

Question 21

Use of more than 10 groups in a focus group study seldom uncovers new information on the same topic.

Question 22

Quantitative methods are statistically projectable to the target population and relatively more reliable since every question is asked of all respondents in precisely the same way.

Question 23

Quantitative research designs are occasionally associated with descriptive and causal research designs.

Question 24

Which of the following characteristics of observation describes the degree to which the researcher or trained observer actually observes the behavior or event as it occurs?

A)Awareness
B)Structure
C)Directness
D)Observing mechanism
E)Reference

Question 25

In-depth interviewing increases the likelihood of participants responding in a socially desirable manner.

Question 26

All of the following explain netnography, EXCEPT:

A)it draws on ethnographic techniques.
B)it uses "found data" on the Internet.
C)it requires deep engagement with particular communities.
D)it requires researchers to ensure trustworthy interpretation of data.
E)it requires researchers to collect data from traffic forums with larger numbers of common message posters.

Question 27

A moderator's guide should include follow-up questions to help the moderator elicit more information.

Question 28

Online focus groups can be conducted relatively quickly because of the ease of participation and because the focus group transcript is produced automatically during the group.

Question 29

The nonparticipant observation method cannot be used to obtain information on attitudes, preferences, beliefs, emotions and similar information.

Question 30

If a researcher wants to know why an individual purchased one brand over the other brands, observation techniques alone will provide the answer.

Question 31

The optimal number of participants in a focus group interview should range from 20-30 people.

Question 32

Groupthink is most likely when participants do not have a previously well-formed opinion on issues discussed in the group.

Question 33

People participating in scanner-based panels have to present a unique bar-coded card at the checkout register.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a strength of observational techniques?

A)It allows you to collect actual behavioral data.
B)It is less susceptible to recall error.
C)It has very good generalizability to general population.
D)It is generally less expensive and less time consuming than some other techniques.
E)It can help reduce potential response bias.

Question 35

A major advantage of focus groups is the phenomenon of groupthink-where participants can build on each others comments.

Question 36

If one is short of time, one should opt for quantitative research as it can generally be completed in a shorter time period compared to qualitative research.

Question 37

Observations conducted for a formal research study can either be structured or unstructured.

Question 38

Sarla Mohini wants to use projective techniques in her research. Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of using such techniques?

A)The interpretation of data is very complex.
B)It is tough to get to a participant's true thoughts using this technique.
C)The interpretation of results is very subjective.
D)Highly skilled (and expensive) researchers are required to conduct this research.
E)The background and experience of a researcher can influence their interpretation of data.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is false about ethnography research?

A)Behaviors are observed in a natural setting.
B)The observer engages in participant observation.
C)It seeks to understand how social and cultural influences affect people's behavior and experiences.
D)It may involve triangulation among multiple sources of data.
E)It is a quantitative data collection method.

Question 40

The richness of qualitative data can often supplement the facts gathered through other primary data collection techniques.

Question 41

When selecting participants for a focus group, should one aim for minimizing differences across participants?

Question 42

Projective techniques encourage participants to freely project beliefs and feelings into a situation or stimulus provided by the researcher.

Question 43

One of the advantages of direct observation is that it reduces recall errors.

Question 44

ZMET is a projective hypothesis that as part of its visual research technique requires the participant to construct a "mini-movie" that string together the images they have been discussing and describes how they feel about the topic of interest.

Question 45

Discuss the major benefits and limitations of observation data.

Question 46

Is it possible that in some situations qualitative research may be sufficient (in the sense that there may be no need to do a follow-up quantitative study)? If yes, give examples of situations when this may be true.

Question 47

There is a degree of subjectivity in all qualitative research analyses; this subjectivity is higher when projective techniques are used.

Question 48

Discuss the unique characteristics of observation methods.

Question 49

What are some of the advantages of conducting online (instead of in-person, face-to-face) focus groups?

Question 50

When conducting netnographic research, researchers tend to select forums with limited traffic and small number of discreet message posters so that each message can be analyzed in depth.