Marketing Research, 8e (Burns/Bush)
Chapter 6 Utilizing Exploratory and Qualitative Research Techniques
1) Research involving the administration of a set of structured questions with predetermined
response options to a large number of respondents is:
A) Quantitative research.
B) Primary research.
C) Qualitative research.
D) Secondary research.
2) The purpose of ________ research is specific and is used when the manager and researcher
have agreed on the precise information that is needed.
A) qualitative
B) quantitative
C) strategic
D) tactical
3) Collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by observing what people do and say is:
A) Quantitative research.
B) Primary research.
C) Qualitative research.
D) Secondary research.
4) Any study that is conducted using an observational technique or unstructured questioning can
be classified as ________, which is becoming increasingly popular in a number of research
situations.
A) quantitative research
B) secondary research
C) strategic research
D) qualitative research
5) When Procter & Gamble is interested in improving its Ultra Tide laundry detergent, it may
invite a group of age 30– to 45-year-old women to brainstorm how Ultra Tide could perform
better or how its packaging could be improved or to discuss other features of the detergent. What
type of research method are they using?
A) Qualitative research
B) Quantitative research
C) Mixed methods research
D) Product research
6) The Arizona Republic newspaper has used online focus groups for brainstorming, and the
outcomes of these sessions are then used to devise online surveys. This is an example of:
A) Product research.
B) Mixed methods research.
C) Readership research.
D) Media research.
7) A baked goods company asked focus group participants to first privately taste and rate the
flavor of the pastry on a number of characteristics and then discuss their reactions with other
focus group participants. This is an example of:
A) Conducting product testing simultaneously.
B) Conducting primary and secondary research concurrently.
C) Conducting quantitative and qualitative research simultaneously.
D) Conducting market tests and taste tests concurrently.
8) Techniques in which phenomena of interest involving people, objects, and/or activities are
systematically observed and documented is:
A) Observational research.
B) Behavioral research.
C) Mixed methods research.
D) Product research.
9) Which of the following is NOT one of the four general ways of organizing observations?
A) Direct versus indirect
B) Mandatory versus voluntary
C) Covert versus overt
D) In situ versus invented
10) General Mills used ________ to understand how children eat breakfast, leading to the launch
of Go-Gurt, a midmorning snack for schoolchildren.
A) indirect observational research
B) in situ observational research
C) direct observational research
D) covert observational research
11) When a sales manager examines records of sales calls to determine how frequently
salespeople make cold calls, he or she is using what type of observational research?
A) Direct
B) Structured
C) Covert
D) Indirect
12) A major retailer uses shoppers to observe and record sales clerks’ assistance, courtesy, and
efficiency. This is an example of what type of observational research?
A) Covert observational research
B) Structured observational research
C) Invented observational research
D) Direct observational research
13) Nielsen Media Research uses a device that is attached to a television set to record when and
to what station a set is tuned. The type of observational research that this represents is:
A) Unstructured observational research.
B) Overt observational research.
C) Invented research
D) Indirect research.
14) In ________ no restriction is placed on what the observer notes. All behavior in the episode
under study is monitored. The observer watches the situation and records what he or she deems
interesting or relevant.
A) covert observational research
B) unstructured observational research
C) invented observational research
D) direct observational research
15) A motion-sensitive camera might be placed in people’s kitchens to observe the behavior of
family members as they inspect the contents of their refrigerator, prepare breakfast, unpack
groceries, and conduct the many other routine activities that occur in kitchens. This is an
example of:
A) Covert observational research.
B) In situ observational research.
C) Unstructured observational research.
D) Direct observational research.
16) Of the following circumstances, which is NOT suited to an observational study?
A) Short time interval
B) Behavior patterns over lengthy time periods
C) Public behavior
D) Likelihood of faulty recall if respondents are asked about previous experiences
17) Which of the following is NOT a major disadvantage of observational research?
A) Generally small sample size, which may not be representative of the population
B) Inability to determine consumers’ motives, attitudes, and intentions
C) Seeing what consumers actually do
D) Subjective interpretation required to explain observed behavior
18) ________ are small groups of people brought together and guided through an unstructured,
spontaneous discussion for the purpose of gaining information relevant to the research problem.
A) Experimental groups
B) Focus groups
C) Observation groups
D) Control groups
19) A research technique that can be used to generate ideas, to learn the respondents‘
“vocabulary” when relating to a certain type of product, or to gain some insights into basic needs
and attitudes is:
A) In-depth interview.
B) Protocol analysis.
C) Role playing.
D) Focus group.
20) What are the focus group company principals often referred to as?
A) Qualitative research consultants
B) Moderator consultants
C) Quantitative research consultants
D) Observation group consultants
21) The ________ of focus group participants should be judged against the target market profile
to assess to what degree the groups represent the target market.
A) demographic and socio-economic characteristics
B) demographic and buyer behavior characteristics
C) buying power and demographic characteristics
D) geographic and buyer-behavior characteristics
22) A focus group phase may be used to gain a feel for ________ that will ultimately generate
standardized information from a representative sample.
A) a specific question
B) a specific method
C) a specific survey
D) a specific group
23) Online focus groups have the following advantages over traditional focus groups EXCEPT
for which of the following?
A) No physical setup necessary
B) Transcripts captured in real time
C) Participants can be in different geographic locations
D) Body language visible and apparent
24) Online focus groups have the following disadvantages over traditional focus groups
EXCEPT for which of the following?
A) Transcripts cannot be captured in real time
B) Observation of participants’ body language is not possible
C) Participants cannot physically inspect products or taste food items
D) Participants can lose interest or become distracted
25) When the research objective is to ________, focus groups may be an alternative.
A) explore or describe rather than predict
B) describe and predict
C) describe, explore, and predict
D) explore and predict
26) If ________ is at hand, research that is representative of some population and that has some
known margin of error (quantitative research) should be used.
A) a low-level decision
B) a high-stakes decision
C) an operational decision
D) a tactical decision
27) Using a focus group to stay abreast of the words and phrases consumers use when describing
products to improve communications about those products or services achieves what objective?
A) Understand consumer vocabulary
B) Reveal consumer needs, motives, perceptions, and attitudes
C) Idea generation
D) Understand findings from quantitative studies
28) What objective would a company have by using a focus group to refresh the marketing
team’s understanding of what customers really feel or think about a product or service?
A) Understand consumer vocabulary
B) Reveal consumer needs, motives, perceptions, and attitudes
C) Idea generation
D) Understand findings from quantitative studies
29) A bank image survey showed that a particular branch consistently received lower scores on
“employee friendliness.” Focus group research later identified the problem. What objective did
the bank have when it conducted the focus groups?
A) Understand consumer vocabulary
B) Reveal consumer needs, motives, perceptions, and attitudes
C) Idea generation
D) Understand findings from quantitative studies
30) Ethnographic research, an approach borrowed from anthropology, is defined as a detailed,
________ of a group and its behavior, characteristics, and culture.
A) descriptive study
B) longitudinal study
C) cross-sectional study
D) academic study
31) The advantage of mobile ethnography is that it can ________ that a researcher might miss,
with respondents viewed as the experts of their own lives.
A) uncover true entertainment habits
B) uncover authentic behavior and feelings
C) uncover gaming purchase and use behaviors
D) uncover authentic shopping behavior
32) ________ is the name for the ethnographic study of online activities.
A) Onlineography
B) Mobileorgraphy
C) Netnography
D) Digitalography
33) A popular and growing trend in marketing research is the use of ________ to gain insights,
with about half of marketing research professionals in a 2014 survey claiming that their firm has
used this research technique.
A) focus groups
B) ethnographic research groups
C) shopalong research communities
D) marketing research online communities
34) One of the main advantages of online communities is that they are ________, allowing a
wide variety of data to be collected, including posts, photos, and videos.
A) inexpensive and flexible
B) easy to recruit and flexible
C) flexible and diverse
D) expensive but flexible
35) A qualitative technique that involves ________ examines consumer motivations and hidden
concerns.
A) online panels
B) in-depth interviews (IDIs)
C) online ethnographic research
D) social media interactive research
36) Which type of qualitative method seeks unrestricted comments or opinions and asks
questions that will help the marketing researcher better understand the various dimensions of
these opinions as well as the reasons for them?
A) Focus groups
B) Mail surveys
C) In-depth interviews
D) Online panels
37) What type of qualitative method involves placing a person in a decision-making situation and
asks him or her to verbalize everything he or she considers when making a decision?
A) In-depth interviews
B) Decision analysis research
C) Protocol analysis
D) Focus group research
38) ________ involve situations in which participants are placed in simulated activities in the
hopes that they will divulge things about themselves that they might not reveal under direct
questioning.
A) Focus groups
B) In-depth interviews
C) Protocol analyses
D) Projective techniques
39) With a sentence-completion test, respondents are given incomplete sentences and asked to
complete them in their own words. This is used as part of what type of qualitative technique?
A) Projective techniques
B) Protocol analyses
C) Focus groups
D) In-depth interviews
40) A picture or thematic apperception test involves providing a picture to participants, who are
instructed to describe their reactions by writing a short story about the picture. This is used as
part of what type of qualitative technique?
A) In-depth interviews
B) Projective technique
C) Protocol analysis
D) Focus groups
41) If Ray-Ban is developing a new “Astronaut” sunglasses model with superior ultraviolet-light
filtration, space-age styling, and a cost of about $200, ________ might be used to fathom
consumers’ initial reactions.
A) an online panel survey
B) a mail survey
C) role playing
D) in-depth interviews
42) Showing a line drawing of a situation in which one of the characters is making a statement,
and asking the participant how the other character in the drawing would respond is using which
type of projective technique?
A) Role playing
B) Thematic apperception test
C) Sentence completion test
D) Cartoon or balloon test
43) ________ involves the study of an individual’s involuntary responses to marketing stimuli,
including eye movement, heart rate, skin conductance, breathing, brain activity (using functional
magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]), and brain waves (electroencephalography [EEG]).
A) Neuromarketing
B) Neuroscience
C) Cerebromarketing
D) Stimulus marketing
44) By using ________ and understanding the neuroscience behind it, marketing researchers
hope to more accurately posit what consumers really want (which can be different from what
they say they want), what appeals to them, and what drives them to buy.
A) neurofocusing
B) neuroimaging
C) cerebroimaging
D) stimulus imaging
45) All of the following are types of neuromarketing EXCEPT which one of the following?
A) Neuroimaging
B) Eye tracking
C) Stimulus imaging
D) Facial coding
46) Neuromarketing is an emerging field that may offer additional ________ into consumer
behavior.
A) quantitative insights
B) brain science insights
C) secondary research insights
D) qualitative insights
47) Quantitative research uses undetermined structured questions with undetermined structured
response options. It is also normally characterized by undetermined samples sizes.
48) The type of research characterized by collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data by
observing what people do or say is qualitative research.