Chapter 5
Descriptive Research
a. he has made clear judgments with respect to the questions of who, what, when,
where, why and how of descriptive research.
b. he has made a clear determination of how the data items are to be analyzed.
c. he has specified the statistical tabulations and significance tests that will be used to
uncover the relationships which exist among the variables.
d. items a through c should all be determined before data collection begins.
e. data collection should not be delayed but should begin as soon as the hypothesis is
stated so as to expedite the research.
a. to develop a profile of the “average user.”
b. to estimate the proportion of people in a specified population who behave in a
certain way.
c. to clarify concepts.
d. to make specific predictions.
e. to determine whether certain variables are associated.
a. Descriptive studies should be viewed as fact-gathering expeditions and all
information that appears to bear on the problem should be collected so that an
accurate description of the situation can be provided.
b. A good descriptive study presupposes much prior knowledge about the phenomenon
studied.
c. A key characteristic of descriptive research is its flexibility.
d. Descriptive studies help the researcher determine the who, what, where, and when of
the research.
e. They are all false.
vehicles. The appropriate research strategy would be
a. analysis of insight-stimulating examples.
b. exploratory research.
c. descriptive research.
d. field experiment.
e. laboratory research.
quotas for Brand A mouth wash should be established for each of ten sales districts that
collectively cover the continental United States. The quotas are to be set for the next
calendar year. This is PRIMARILY a(n)
a. exploratory study.
b. descriptive study.
c. lab experiment.
d. field experiment.
e. turnover analysis.
You have been requested to make a forecast of domestic automobile production for the
forthcoming calendar year and, for this forecast, to make a forecast of the total tonnage of
steel that will be used by the automobile manufacturers. This is primarily a(n)
a. exploratory study.
b. descriptive study.
c. field experiment.
d. simulation.
e. laboratory experiment.
a. should be begun with the vague idea that the data collected should be interesting.
b. presupposes little prior knowledge about the phenomenon of interest.
c. is simply a fact-gathering study.
d. requires a clear specification of the research problem.
e. is characterized by its flexibility.
a. are a statement of how the analysis will be structured.
b. provide guidance on which questions to ask.
c. should be developed after the data are collected.
d. are complete tables except for filling in the actual numbers.
e. a, b, and c.
a. A researcher should specify variables and categories in a dummy table after the data
have been collected.
b. Dummy tables are extremely useful because they provide guidance on how to phrase
questions as well as the number of questions necessary for a research project.
c. A dummy table is used to catalog collected data.
d. A dummy table is complete in all aspects save for filling in the actual numbers.
e. A dummy table states how the analysis will be structured and conducted.
a. it is a special type of cross-classification analysis.
b. can be used when there are a series of surveys.
c. spacing between surveys corresponds to the arbitrary divisions created by the
researcher.
d. the cohort refers to the aggregate of individuals who experience the same event
within the same time interval.
e. all of the above are true.
a. longitudinal study
b. field study
c. literature search
d. cross-sectional analysis
e. They are all examples of descriptive studies.
a. the after-only with control group
b. the cross-sectional study
c. an omnibus panel
d. a longitudinal study
e. none of the above
a. is a fixed sample of elements.
b. has periodic additions to replace drop-outs.
c. has members that are measured repeatedly.
d. has periodic additions to maintain representativeness.
e. all of the above are true.
a. A panel is a permanent or fixed sample of members from whom information is
obtained continuously or at intervals over a period of time.
b. The National Purchase Diary Panel is an example of an omnibus panel in which the
same variables are measured over time.
c. An omnibus panel is a fixed sample of individuals who are measured continuously
(or periodically) with respect to the same information, e.g. purchase diary.
d. A true longitudinal analysis can be performed on data from an omnibus panel.
e. They are all true.
a. Panels typically allow the collection of more classification information than cross-
sectional studies.
b. Panel data is more accurate than cross-sectional data because panel data tend to be
freer from errors associated with reporting past behavior.
c. Panels reduce interviewer-respondent bias because of a trust built up through
repeated contacts between the two individuals.
d. Nonrepresentativeness of panel members may be a major weakness of longitudinal
designs.
e. None of the above.
a. is concerned with the determination of cause-and-effect relationships.
b. can be performed on any panel.
c. involves a one-time cross-sectional sample of elements from the population of
interest.
d. is simply a fact-gathering study.
e. can only be performed using panels that rely on repeated measurements of the same
variables.
a. a cohort table.
b. a panel data matrix.
c. a brand loyalty matrix.
d. a brand switching matrix.
e. none of the above are names for a turnover table.
a. is appropriate to panel data when the variables being measured are constantly
changing.
b. is appropriate to cross-sectional studies.
c. can only be performed when there are repeated measures over time on the same
variables for the same subjects.
d. does not show switching behavior.
e. cannot be used to look at changes in the behavior of individuals.
a. A turnover table can be used with either traditional panel data or omnibus panel data.
b. Turnover analysis can be used to look at changes in the behavior of individuals.
c. Brand loyalty cannot be calculated from a turnover table.
d. Turnover analysis is appropriate for cross-sectional studies.
e. Longitudinal studies allow turnover analysis when the panel reflects one-time
measurements of different variables.
a. The objective of cross-classification analysis is to establish categories such that
classification in one category does not allow classification in any other category.
b. Cross-classification analysis is an appropriate use of turnover analysis.
c. Cross-classification is important in causal research.
d. Cross-classification analysis cannot be used in descriptive studies.
e. The objective of cross-classification analysis is the establishment of categories such
that classification in one category implies classification in one or more other
categories.
a. employ a fixed sample of elements.
b. measure the same objects at multiple points in time.
c. have periodic additions to replace dropouts.
d. allow turnover analysis when the panel reflects one-time measurements of different
variables.
e. all of the above are true.
characteristics for a representative sample of 10,000 drivers: age, sex, miles driven/year,
and number of accidents during the past five years. This is an example of
a. an exploratory research strategy.
b. a descriptive research using the field study approach.
c. a descriptive research using the field survey approach.
d. field experiment.
e. none of the above.
Based on the data below, answer the next three (3) questions.
BOUGHT AT t0
A B C Total
A 110 50 80 240
BOUGHT
AT t1 B 50 130 55 235
C 35 20 95 150
195 200 230 625
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. The three brands were equally popular.
e. It is impossible to tell.
a. 105
b. 130
c. 160
d. 240
e. 290
a. A
b. B
c. C
d. B and C
e. All three brands had the same brand loyalty.
a. Data based on longitudinal analysis (employing consumer panels) permit the
researcher to observe aggregate differences but not individual changes.
b. The most important single advantage of the panel design is analytical.
c. Panels typically allow the collection of more classification information than
cross-sectional studies.
d. A panel is a permanent or fixed sample of members from whom information is
obtained continuously or at intervals over a period of time.
e. All of the above are true.
a. Superficial analysis of a phenomena is a charge often leveled against exploratory
research.
b. Sample surveys are expensive in terms of both money and time.
c. Anyone can conduct survey research.
d. Descriptive studies are very flexible, allowing for changes in variables during the
research process.
e. A longitudinal study is a type of cross-sectional study.
a. Exploratory studies can be helpful in determining student‘s satisfaction with their
academic major.
b. Exploratory research can be helpful in choosing whether to attend graduate
school.
c. Exploratory studies lend themselves very well to the use of structured
questionnaires.
d. Exploratory research is not helpful in increasing the researcher‘s knowledge in a
specific field or topic.
e. They are all false.
a. seldom occur because the respondent rarely tells the interviewer what he thinks the
interviewer wants to hear.
b. occur because interviewer and respondent reflect distinct personalities and different
social roles.
c. are increased when a panel design is used because the interviewer does not make
repetitive contact.
d. occur because people tend to forget.
e. seldom occur in a panel design.
a. repetitive contact.
b. rapport between the individuals.
c. the use of open-ended questions.
d. a and b.
e. all of the above reduce interviewer-respondent interaction biases.
a. are nonrepresentative.
b. are expensive to maintain.
c. allow only simple analysis of the data.
d. suffer more from interview bias than any other data collection methods.
e. all of the above.
a. rarely use quota samples to create a representative panel.
b. rarely encourage participation by offering premiums or paying the respondents.
c. determine prospective participants very systematically.
d. can require continued participation from those who initially choose to participate.
e. have a small percentage of individuals designated initially for inclusion who refuse
to cooperate.
a. typically involves panels.
b. is a type of causal study.
c. is the least common design.
d. typically involves a sample of elements from the population of interest.
e. measures sample members repeatedly.
a. can appropriately use turnover analysis.
b. involves counting the occurrence of one variable without regard to the occurrence of
any other variable.
c. usually results from information gathered in field studies.
d. is important in exploratory research.
e. has as its objective the establishment of categories such that classification in one
category implies classification in one or more other categories.
a. Marketing research studies employing the exploratory strategy generally have as a
starting point an hypothesis specifying relationships between variables.
b. Trend analysis employing replicated cross-sections is more appropriate than
longitudinal analysis for studying brand switching behavior.
c. An advantage of the case or field study method over the field survey method is that
the former is more objective.
d. The objective of cross-classification analysis in the field survey method is to
establish categories such that classification in one category implies classification in
one or more other categories.
e. None of the above.
a. they require a good deal of technical skill.
b. they are expensive in both time and money.
c. they sacrifice breadth for depth.
d. a and b.
e. a, b, and c.