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Chapter 8: Primary Data Collection: Observation
Multiple Choice
1. The systematic process of recording behavior without communicating with the people
involved is known as:
a. experimental research.
b. focus group research.
c. observation research.
d. exploratory research.
e. descriptive research.
2. When cars which arrive at the drive-thru window of McDonald’s are counted to aid in the
assignment of work schedules for workers at the restaurant, this is an example of:
a. a contrived situation.
b. an experiment.
c. exploratory research.
d. a natural situation.
e. mystery shopping.
3. When a laboratory experiment is set up so that respondents can view an interactive
computer program of the layout of the inside of a department store to track their eye-
contact and “shopping behavior” as they “walk” through this virtual store, this is an
example of a(n):
a. contrived situation.
b. descriptive study.
c. natural situation.
d. exploratory research situation.
e. mystery shopping study.
4. When United Airlines asks one of its employees to fly from New York to Los Angeles
and to pretend that he ordered a vegetarian meal (when he did not to this) in order to see
the reaction of the flight attendant when he complains that he ordered this meal and was
unhappy that it was not available, this is an example of:
a. a natural situation.
b. exploratory research.
c. descriptive research.
d. an experiment.
e. a mystery shopper.
5. When large signs are posted at intersections in Berkeley, California, warning drivers of
the amount of the fine that will be imposed on them if they run a red light and it is
photographed by cameras posted at this intersection, this is an example of:
a. a closed observation.
b. an open observation.
c. mystery shopping.
d. a descriptive study.
e. a disguised observation.
6. When a large black cable is laid across a street to count the number of cars that travel
along that street in an attempt to use the information to decide whether or not to install a
traffic light at the next intersection, this is an example of:
a. human observation.
b. a contrived situation.
c. a closed observation.
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d. machine observation.
e. a GSR observation.
7. All of the following cannot be observed by marketing researchers EXCEPT:
a. attitudes.
b. public behavior.
c. feelings.
d. motives.
e. intentions.
8. Observing human behavior in its natural context is called:
a. ethnographic research.
b. people reading.
c. contrived research.
d. EEG research.
e. GSR research.
9. When a clerk of Bloomingdale’s Department store in New York is told during a training
session that she cannot receive the highest rating by someone who is hired to observe her
behavior if she does not thank that shopper and say the name of the shopper (e.g. “Thank
you, Ms. Jones”) when returning that shopper’s credit card to her, this is an example of:
a. open observation.
b. a GSR study.
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c. mystery shopping.
d. an EEG study.
e. a natural situation.
10. When McDonald’s hires someone to drive around the state of Missouri visiting
McDonald’s restaurants and pretending to be a customer so that this person can fill out a
survey summarizing the performance of the restaurant and its employees, this is an
example of a(n):
a. an EEG study.
b. mystery shopper.
c. a natural situation.
d. a GSR study.
e. open observation.
11. When Marriott Hotel hires someone to book a room at a specific Marriott Hotel location
in St. Louis and to pretend to be a customer, when, in fact, this “customer” is checking
out the hotel and its staff on a performance survey, this is an example of a(n):
a. an EEG study.
b. mystery shopper.
c. a natural situation.
d. a GSR study.
e. open observation.
12. When researchers can observe participants in a focus group discussion from a room next
store, but the participants cannot see these researchers, this is an example of:
a. a natural situation.
b. mystery shopping.
c. one-way mirror observation.
d. a GSR study.
e. ethnographic research.
13. Companies who are trying to decide whether or not to advertise their products or services
on billboards along Route 44 in St. Louis rely on what type of information to make this
decision?
a. A contrived situation
b. GSR research
c. Mystery shopping
d. One-way mirror observation
e. Traffic counters
14. When 7Eleven relies on data of vehicle driving patterns by a possible location for a new
convenience store in order to decide whether or not to open a new store at that location,
these data are a type of:
a. GSR data.
b. traffic counter data.
c. mystery shopping data.
d. People reader data.
e. EEG data.
15. When a researcher asks a participant to sit in front of a computer screen and to “push” an
imaginary shopping cart around the “aisles of a supermarket layout” presented on the
screen to record the behavior of this participant, this is a type of:
a. virtual shopping.
b. disguised research.
c. EEG research.
d. ethnographic research.
e. People reader research.
True/False
16. When a researcher looks at past recordings of behavior (e.g. library book checkout data)
to record behavior of people, this is a type of observation research.
17. Observation research can record human behavior by using other humans to record
behavior but not by using machines to record this behavior.
18. In observation research, it is ethically permissible to record both the private and public
behavior of people.
19. Both ethnography and focus groups are types of qualitative research techniques.
20. Internet tracking of surfing behavior is an example of observation research.