Question Development

Steps in the Measurement Process The researcher must determine which level is appropriate for the data that will contribute to management decisions Nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio? Open-ended or closed-ended?

Summary of Measurement Levels Nominal  Categorizes labeled data Ordinal  Rank orders data without specifying magnitude of distance Specify gender Indicate yes or no Check all that apply Rank from most important to least important

Summary of Measurement Levels Interval  Rank order with comparable magnitude between choices assumed equal Ratio  N,O, I characteristics with verifiable, absolute distances between choices Indicate your level of agreement Allocate a bonus of $10,000 between you and your team members

Question Development Forms Closed-ended Pre-defined response categories Open-ended Encourages free response

Nominal Level Questions Appropriate for categorizing responses Useful when the main purpose is to describe patterns among the sample (descriptive statistics) Dichotomous Multiple choice Checklist

Example of Nominal Level Questions Will you apply for a summer internship? Yes No For which position do you intend to apply? (check one) Account Management Creative Research Media Other

Considerations for Writing Nominal Level Questions Alternatives should be exhaustive Options should avoid response bias Response alternatives should be appropriate [typical] for the behavior, attitude in question

Nominal Level Considerations When you apply for an internship in advertising, for which area will you apply? (bias) Are you bothered by the fact that advertising professionals don’t get paid as much as their business counterparts? (bias)

Ordinal Level Questions Appropriate when the order of responses is important Presents respondents with a series of options and asks for an evaluation relative to other options in the series

Ordinal Level Question Example Rank the following advertising positions in order of your career interest. (specify one rank per position) Account Management Creative Research Media Other

Considerations for Ordinal Level Questions Instructions must be explicit

Interval Level Questions Appropriate for gauging opinions/attiudes to an explicit, well-defined question are needed Rating scale Frame of reference Non comparative Comparative Graphic Itemized

Interval Level Examples – Frame of Reference Evaluate the advertising profession in terms of how much “fun” you perceive it to be (non- comparative) Vs. Relative to other marketing professions, how “fun” do you perceive the advertising profession to be? (comparative)

Specific Types of Interval Rating Scales Semantic differential bipolar adjective anchors Fun/Not Fun Stapel scale semantic differential simplied 0-point as the center of the scale

Interval Rating Scales Likert scale agreement/disagreement scales To what extent do you agree or disagree with the idea that advertising as a profession is more “fun” than other marketing professionals? Strongly agree Agree Neither agree nor disagree Disagree Strongly disagree

Graphic Itemized Scale Uses graphics rather than words to generate an individual’s rating to an object or idea.

Considerations for Writing Interval Level Questions Lead in questions to the alternatives should be unbiased Scales should be constructed (visually/verbally) so that there are equal intervals between points

Considerations for Writing Interval Level Questions Correspondence between info requested and response items 5 to 10 response categories Decision must be made about scale balance

Ratio Level Questions Appropriate when degree of behavior, attitude OR relative weight is important Constant sum scale Generally dividing sums of 10 or 100

Ratio Level Questions The following cities are known hubs for the advertising industry. Allocate 1000 between the cities based on your likelihood of applying for jobs in those markets. (Make sure your results total 1000) Atlanta Chicago New York San Francisco Dallas