Experimentation Test Questions & Answers Chapter.13

Test Bank

CHAPTER 13 Experimentation

True-False

1. For a study to be called an "experiment," it is necessary that the

researchers have complete control over all of the relevant variables.

2. Experiments are defined as studies in which implementation involves

an intervention by the observer beyond that required for measurement.

3. Laboratory experiments are conducted in a natural setting, where the

respondents are usually not aware that an experiment is taking place.

4. Field experiments tend to have much greater external validity than

laboratory experiments. This means that to a greater extent their

causal inferences can be generalized from the experimental

environment to the actual marketing environment.

5. The internal validity of an experiment depends on the extent to

which competing explanations for the results are avoided.

6. Laboratory experiments give the researcher greater control over the

experiment but less internal validity than do field experiments.

7. In an advertising effectiveness experiment, a researcher is faced

with the question of whether sales increased because of advertising

or because of economic or competitive changes in the marketplace.

This question involves the internal validity of the experiment.

8. Because the validity issue in any experiment is so important, the

researcher is justified in going to any expense to guarantee validity.

9. Experiments are used to detect or to confirm causal relationships

and to quantify them.

10. Descriptive studies can usually be used in place of experiments to

infer and to confirm the existence of a causal relationship.

11. Marketing intelligence is primarily about causal relationships between

host of independent variables and their effect on dependent variables

12. A high degree of association between two variables, such as

frequency of advertising exposure and respondent advertising recall,

establishes a causal relationship between the two.

13. When there is a high degree of association between an action and an

outcome, the order in which the action and the outcome occurred is

irrelevant to the question of causality.

14. A causal relationship between an action and an outcome has been

confirmed whenever there is evidence of a strong association between

the two and evidence that the action preceded the outcome.

15. Interaction effect of testing, multiple treatment inference, reactive effects of F experimental arrangements threaten the internal validity of an experiment

16. While choosing the experimental design, researchers need to consider the sample size, T a suitable run order for the trials, and whether randomization restrictions are involved.

17. If two variables are causally linked, they need not be associated

18. The history effect occurs when events external to an experiment

affect the responses of the subjects.

19. In marketing studies, the primary source of history effects is the

behavior of competitors.

20. A researcher studying the effectiveness of advertising copy tested

various groups of randomly selected respondents. After the first interviews, the researcher modified the questionnaire for use with the remaining respondents. The results of this study may be compromised by the maturation effect.

21. Maturation involves changes in respondents that are a consequence of

time, such as aging, or getting hungry or tired.

22. Experimental designs that adopt a random assignment procedure are

called true experiments.

23. One approach to reducing selection bias is to match the control and

the experimental groups.

24. In non-matched control group designs, one group is exposed to

treatment while another is not. The response variable is measured in

the two sample groups at the end of the experiment. This solves the

problem of selection bias.

25. A matched control group may be represented as

M X 0₁

--------

M O₂

26. Randomization should always be used when the number of dimension on

which groups are to be matched is small (two or three).

27. Direct mail tests of advertising appeals are an ideal setting for

the randomized control group design.

28. A randomized block design can be represented as

29. A researcher studying the effects of several control variables is

faced with the problem of increasing sample size and increasing

cost. The usual solution is the before-after design.

30. The factorial design allows a researcher to determine the effect of two variables

in one experiment. It can determine main effects and interactive effects.

31. A marketing research manager, who wants to reduce the cost of

experimentation, decides to use the Latin square design. This

decision is based on the assumption that any interaction between

variables can be ignored.

32. As the sample size decreases, the degree of matching achieved by

randomization will increase.

33. A researcher is using a full factorial design to test the effects of

four variables, each of which has two levels. The least number of

conditions to be tested is 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 or 16.

34. This figure demonstrates an interaction effect between the two

control variables, advertising and price:

Use the following information for questions 35 through 38.

Members of an anti-smoking group needed to test the effectiveness of

an education pamphlet which they intended to circulate among the

public. They first interviewed a group of respondents to find out

their attitudes towards the detrimental effects of smoking. Next,

the respondents were given the pamphlet to read. Finally, the

respondents were interviewed again, for the second time that day.

35. This study is an example of the before-after design.

36. The internal validity of the smoking study above is threatened by

the before-measure effect.

37. The internal validity of the smoking study above is threatened by the mortality effect.

38. Because the respondents in the smoking study above had become

familiar with the measuring instrument, the results of the study are

threatened by the instrumentation effect.

39. In the following before-after randomized control group design, the

output of interest would be the difference between 0₁ - 0₃ and

O₂ - 0₄.

R 0₁ X 0₂

---------------

R 0₃ 0₄

40. The before-after randomized control group design eliminates the

before-measure effect.

41. The following is a Solomon Four-Group design. Because groups III and

IV do not have a before-measure, they cannot be regarded as experimental groups.

R 0₁ X 0₂

---------------

R 0₃ 0₄

---------------

R X 0₅

---------------

R 0₆

42. With the Solomon Four Group design, it is possible to measure the

interaction of the treatment and before-measure effects by looking

at ((0₂ - 0₄) - (0₅ - 0₆)).

43. Causation means that a change in one variable will produce a change in another

44. Trend studies and continuous panel studies are two examples of time series designs.

45. Trend studies are most useful when a researcher is testing

hypotheses concerning an individual's response to a control variable.

46. The figure below shows a decisive change in a time series after the

administration of an experimental treatment.

47. The before-measure effect is a potential threat to the internal

validity of continuous panel data.

48. Continuous panel studies are especially useful in gaining insights

into choice behavior for product categories in which stable sales

often obscure large but compensating gains and losses of individual buyers.

49. All the hypotheses in a descriptive study must be fully developed

before the data analysis stage.

50. Causation is established when two variables vary concomitantly.

51. If variables X and Y are strongly associated, then a causal

relationship between X and Y must exist.

52. Progressive Marketers Incorporated found no third variable involved

in the association between sales and advertising. It can, therefore,

be concluded that the relationship is of the form: advertising → sales.

53. Consider the following table from data on advertising recall and attitudes:

χ² .25

χ² test Significant at .001 level

φ .27

The logical implication of the table is: advertising -> attitudes.

54. One reason that an association between advertising and attitudes may

be explained by an ownership variable is the difference between the

composition of ownership groups with positive and negative attitudes.

55. If the composition of two ownership groups (with respect to positive

and negative attitudes) is identical, an association between

advertising and attitudes would not be affected by the introduction

of the ownership variable.

56. In the absence of a true experiment, there is no way to adequately

control for an identified intervening variable.

57. Even if a true experiment is conducted, there is no way to

adequately control for an unidentified intervening variable.

58. The advantage of randomization in experimental control is that it

will control for both known and unknown variables.

59. The group of subjects exposed to the experimental treatment is

termed as control group.

60. Variables, other than the manipulated variable, that affect the

response of test units is called extraneous variables.

61. Trend studies are measures over time that come from a succession of separate

random samples from the same population.

62. Classical designs can be further categorized into three groups:

Pre-experimental, Quasi-experimental, and true experimental groups.

63. One way to address causality is to consider the time lag between cause and effect.

64. The key of experimental work is manipulation of a treatment variable followed by

observation of the response variable.

Multiple Choice

1. Which of the following designs corrects for all forms of biases in responses?
2. one shot framework
3. pretest-posttest descriptive framework
4. pretest-posttest causal framework
5. Solomon four group design
6. none of the above
7. An advantage of ___________in experimentation is that no knowledge is

necessary of extraneous variables that could possibly influence the results.

1. randomizing
2. eliminating
3. equalizing
4. balancing
5. Which of the following is more likely to provide evidence of a causal

relationship between two variables?

1. an experiment
2. descriptive research
3. exploratory research
4. cross-sectional analysis
5. non experimental research
6. The main advantage of experimental research over non experimental research is
7. it is easier to control the dependent variable
8. cause and effect relations can be tested
9. interaction between variables do not confound the study
10. one can collect more accurate information on the problem
11. none of the above
12. An experimental design which helps identify all forms of the “pre-test” bias is
13. before-after randomized control group
14. traditional matched-group design
15. time series
16. solomon four-group
17. all of the above

6. To infer a causal relationship, which of the following types of

evidence does a researcher need?

a. Evidence of a strong association between an action and an outcome.

b. Evidence that the action preceded the outcome.

c. Evidence of a high level of internal validity.

d. Evidence that there are no strongly competing explanations for

the relationship between an action and an outcome.

e. All of these

7. Which of the following is true about history effects?

1. They involve events that are external to the experiment, that affect the

responses of the participants

2. They result from events internal to the research design.

3. They are not diminished by using a non-matched control group design.

4. The longer the time period involved in the experiment, the

greater the likelihood that history effects will account for observed results.

a.1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

e. 1 and 4

8. The question of whether the results of an experiment apply to the

real world refers to

a. external validity.

b. internal validity.

c. history effects.

d. interaction effects.

e. none of the above.

9. One of the advantages of a non-matched control group design is the

control of

a. interaction and maturation effects.

b. maturation and instrumentation effects.

c. history and maturation effects.

d. instrumentation and mortality effects.

e. selection bias.

10. One approach to reducing selection bias is to

a. include a control group.

b. match the experimental and control groups.

c. include volunteers as respondents.

d. use a continuous panel.

e. none of the above.

11. In the textbook notation for experimental design

a. X represents control group respondents.

b. X refers to the method employed to measure the response variable.

c. O represents the exposure of a respondent to an experimental treatment.

d. X represents the exposure of a group to an experiential treatment

whose effect is to be observed, and O represents the observation

or measurement taken on the group.

e. O₁ and O₂ represent the matching of experimental and control groups.

12. When there is no interaction between two variables such as price and

advertising,

1. the effects of the two variables are additive.

2. each variable will always have a main effect.

3. the effects of the two variables are not additive.

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 2 and 3

e. none of the above

13. In a full factorial design involving three promotion alternatives, three price levels,

and four types of advertising, how many conditions would have to be tested?

a. 10

b. 20

c. 24

d. 36

e. none of the above

14. The ABC Company maintains records of brand share attained in each of

its sales regions. It does so by surveying retail stores in these

regions every quarter. The company is using a(n)

a. exploratory design.

b. time series experimental design.

c. "try-it-out" design.

d. Solomon Four Group design.

e. none of the above.

15. The key question in a trend study is

a. whether maturation has invalidated the results.

b. whether the measurements following the experimental treatment are

a continuation of earlier patterns or mark a decisive change.

c. whether a single random sample or a succession of samples has been used.

d. how the behavior and attitudes of one respondent differ from those of another.

e. all of these.

16. Threats to the internal validity of a trend study are likely to include

1. history effects.

2. maturation effects.

3. instrumentation effects.

4. selection bias

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

e. all of these

17. Threats to the validity of continuous panel data include which of

the following?

a. history effects.

b. instrumentation effects.

c. before-measure effects.

d. nonrandom selection.

e. all of these.

18. The marketing researcher for a game company is conducting an experiment to

test customer reaction to the pricing of a new game designed for use by adults. A list of customers who had sent the company complaint letters was readily available, and the researcher rearranged this list by ZIP code, sending every third person a color brochure on the new game. Each respondent was asked to return a postcard, stating an intention to purchase or not to purchase the game at the listed price. Which of the following is true?

a. The sampling method ensures that all geographic areas are represented.

b. The external validity of the study is ensured, since respondents who are sitting in their homes are reacting under real life circumstances.

c. The sample is likely to over-represent the lower class.

d. The design of the study suffers from selection bias.

e. None of the above.

19. When it is not possible to make sure that groups in a study have

identical characteristics before the administration of an experimental treatment, the researcher should be concerned with

a. testing effects.

b. interaction.

c. selection bias.

d. maturation effects.

e. history effects.

20. Randomized control group designs

a. simultaneously match test and control groups on all dimensions

when the sample size is sufficient.

b. are sometimes called true experimental designs.

c. ensure that sample groups will tend to be similar.

d. can be represented as

R X O₁

--------------

R O₂

e. all of these.

21. The Committee for Arts and Lectures (CAL) wants to test different

promotions for a series of plays. Which statement is true about the

following experiment?

R X₁ O₁

---------------

R X₂ O₂

---------------

R X₃ O₃

--------------

a. It compares three treatment levels, corresponding to three "levels" of promotion.

b. X₁ refers to the observation or measurement of the first group.

c. It includes a separate control group.

d. It can be classified as a matched control group design.

e. None of the above.

22. In a study to determine the demand level for a new candy bar at

various price levels, each respondent was told only one of the three

possible prices. Each pricing alternative was told to a randomly

chosen third of a representative sample. A measurement of intent to

purchase was then taken. The design of this study can be represented

by

1. R (X₁, O₁) 3. R X₁ O₁

--------------- -------------

R (X₂, O₂) R X₁ O₂

--------------- ----------------

R (X₃, O₃) R X₁ O₃

2. R X₁ O₁ 4. M (X₁, O₁)

--------------- --------------

R X₂ O₂ M (X₂, O₂)

--------------- -----------------

R X₃ O₃ M (X₃, O₃)

--------------- ------------------

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

e. 1 or 2

23. In a study in an underdeveloped country, it is expected that urban

residents will react more favorably than rural residents to

promotion encouraging family planning. It is important to ensure

that the experimental groups will not differ on this dimension.

Which of the following is/are true?

1. The study should control for the urban-suburban variable

by adding a block effect.

2. This type of study design can be represented by

3. This type of study design can be represented by

R (X₁, O₁)

-----------

R (X₂, O₂)

-----------

R (X₃, O₃)

-----------

R (X₄, O₄)

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 1 and 2

e. 1 and 3

24. McDonnelly, a fast food chain, is testing a new kind of sandwich in

thirty cities. Three levels of advertising (A₁, A₂, A₃) and two

price levels (P₁, P₂) are being considered. Which of the following is true?

1. McDonnelly is interested in estimating the effects of both advertising and price.

2. The appropriate design is the randomized control group design.

3. The appropriate design is the factorial design.

4. The experiment can be represented by

R X₁(A₁, P₁) O₁ n = 10

-------------------------

R X₂(A₂, P₂) O₂ n = 10

-------------------------

R X₃(A₃, P₃) O₃ n = 10

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

e. 1 and 3

25. To infer a causal relationship, which of the following types of

evidence does a researcher need?

a. Evidence of a strong association between an action and an outcome.

b. Evidence that the action preceded the outcome.

c. Evidence of a high level of internal validity.

d. Evidence that there are no strongly competing explanations for

the relationship between an action and an outcome.

e. All of these

26. Which of the following is true about history effects?

a. They involve changes in respondents that are a consequence of time.

b. They result from events internal to the research design.

c. They are not diminished by using a non-matched control group design.

d. The longer the time period involved in the experiment, the greater the likelihood that history effects will account for the observed results.

e. None of the above

27. America Corporation, a major auto manufacturer, wants to test the

effectiveness of its "fair and frank" ad messages in changing the

existing negative attitudes of the public toward the company's

performance, intentions, and efforts to offer a better product.

1. The dependent variable in this study would be sales

levels after the ad campaign is over.

2. The dependent variable is the attitude of the population

concerning the company's performance, etc.

3. The independent variable is the ad campaign with the

"fair and frank" messages.

4. The analysis is attempting to look at the relationship

between advertising and attitudes.

a. 1

b. 2

c. 3

d. 4

e. 2, 3, and 4

28. Consider the following table from data on advertising and attitudes:

The logical implication of the table is: advertising → attitudes. The marketing research group, however, was puzzled by the fact that in spite of the implication of the above table, the percentage of people in the population with positive attitudes had not increased

appreciably after exposure to the ad campaign. They looked for other variables that might offer an explanation for this "paradox" and came up with the following table:

All of the following are true except

a. the table above confirms the implication: advertising → attitudes.

b. the table above implies a positive relationship between ownership and recall.

c. the results of the table above offer a reasonable explanation of the "paradox."

d. the table above is an example of the usefulness of searching for

a third variable when initial results are statistically

significant but theoretically simple.

e. all of these are true.