MARKET RESEARCH LECTURE 6 TH OBSERVATIONS

 Observation in marketing research, is the systematic process of recording the behavioral patterns of people, objects, and occurrences as they are witnessed.  No questioning or communicating with people is needed. Researchers who use observation method data collection they witness and record information while watching events take place or take advantage of some tracking system such as check-out scanners.

 Observation can be a useful part of either qualitative or quantitative research. Additionally, actual observations of behavioral patterns can be part of an exploratory, descriptive, or even a causal design.

What can be observed  Observational studies gather a wide variety of information about behavior.  The observation method may be used to describe a ide variety of behavior but cognitive phenomena such as attitudes, motivations, and preferences cannot be observed. As a result, observation research cannot provide an explanation of why a behavior occurred or what actions were intended. Another limitation is that the observation period is generally short.

What are things that People do and Marketing Researchers observe  Physical Activities: The way a shopper moves through a store and interaction with objects.  Verbal Behavior: Statements made by consumers at the store’s checkout, either to each other, either to the store’s employee.  Expressive behavior and physiological reactions: Facial expressions of consumers in a restaurant or the body language of consumers visiting a day spa

 Spatial relations and locations: How close shoppers stand to service providers while getting advice about fashion.  Temporal patterns: How long patients in a doctor’s office will wait before approaching the counter to inquire or complain.  Physical objects: What brand of shoes, clothing, and skateboards teens at a skate park own and use.

 Verbal and pictorial records: Photographs or videos of early childhood Christmas experiences; Comments left on internet blogs.  Neurological events: Brain activity in response to a consumer experiencing joy or disgust while reading nutrition information.

The nature of observation studies/ Kinds of Observations Unobtrusive Visible Hidden

The nature of observation studies/ Kinds of Observations  Unobtrusive Observation: No communication with the person being observed is necessary so that he or she is unaware that he or she is an object of research.  Visible Observation: Observation in which the observer’s presence is known to the subject.  Hidden Observation: Observation in which the subject is unaware that observation is taking place. Hidden and Unobtrusive observations minimize respondent error.

Observation of Human Behavior  Whereas surveys emphasize verbal responses, observation studies emphasize and allow for the systematic recording of nonverbal behavior.  Behavioral scientists have recognized that nonverbal behavior can be a communication process by which meaning are exchanged among individuals. Head nods, smiles, raised eyebrows, and other facial expressions or body movements have been recognized as communication symbols. Observation of nonverbal communication may hold considerable promise for the marketing researcher.

Observing and Interpreting Nonverbal Communication  Facial Expression Description: Expressions of emotion such as surprise. Example: A consumer reacts to the price quoted by a salesperson.

 Body Language Description: Posture, Placement of arms and legs. Example: A consumer crosses arms as salesperson speaks, possibly indicating lack of trust.

 Eye Activity Description: Eye contact staring, looking away, dilated pupils. In U.S culture, not making eye contact is indicative of a deteriorating relationship. Dilated pupils can indicate emotion or degree of honesty. Example: A consumer avoids making eye contact with a salesperson knowing that he/she will not make a purchase.

 Personal Space Description: Physical distance between individuals; in the US, people like to be about eight feet apart to have a discussion. Example: A consumer may back away from a salesperson who is viewed to be violating one’s personal space.

 Gestures Description: Responses to certain events with specific body reactions or gestures. Example: A consumer who wins something (maybe at the casino or a sports contest) lifts arms, stands tail, and sticks out chest.

 Manners Description: Accepted protocol for given situations. Example: A salesperson may shake a customer’s hand, but should not touch a customer otherwise.

Direct Observation  A straightforward attempt to observe and record what naturally occurs; the investigator does not create an artificial situation.  Why use direct observation? Certain data may be obtained more quickly or easily using direct observation than by other methods: gender, race, and other respondent characteristics can simply be observed. Direct observation is used because it often is the simplest, quickest and most accurate way to gather data. On the other hand, it has limited flexibility because not all phenomena are observable.

Errors associated with direct observation:  Observer Bias: A distortion of measurement resulting from the cognitive behavior or actions of a witnessing observer. For example, in a research project using observers to evaluate whether salesclerks are rude or courteous, fieldworkers may be required to rely on their own interpretations of people or situations during the observation process.  Accuracy may suffer if observer does not record every detail that describes the persons, objects, and events in a given situation.  Interpretation of observation data is another source of error. Facial expression and other nonverbal communication may have several meanings.

Ethical Issues in the Observation of Humans  Observation methods introduce a number of ethical issues. Hidden observation raises the issue of the respondent’s right to privacy. If the researcher obtains permission to observe someone, the subject may not act naturally.

Ethical Issues in the Observation of Humans So when should researchers feel comfortable collecting observational data? While exceptions exist to every rule, here are three questions that can help address this question:  Is the behavior being observed commonly performed in public where it is expected that others can observe the behavior?  Is the behavior performed in a setting in which the anonymity of the person being observed is assured (meaning there is no way to identify individuals)?  Has the person agreed to be observed? If the answer to the first two questions is yes, then there is not likely a violation of privacy in collecting observational research data.

Mechanical Observation  In many situations, the primary – and sometimes the only- means of observation is mechanical rather than human. Video cameras, traffic counters and other machines help observe and record behavior.

Measuring Physiological Reactions  Eye-Tracking Monitor: A mechanical device used to observe eye movements; Some eye monitors use infrared light beams to measure unconscious eye movements.  Pupilometer: A mechanical device used to observe and record changes in the diameter of a subject’s pupils.  Voice-pitch analysis: A physiological measurement technique that records abnormal frequencies in the voice that are supposed to reflect emotional reactions to various stimuli.