Research Methodology
Neither Agree Nor Disagree: Why Fish Don’t Belong In Apple Sauce
Posted January 19, 2010 in Featured, Research Methodology
By: Andrew Grenville - Chief Research Officer
It drives me bonkers when researchers, trying to understand people’s attitudes, use a scale that allows people to say they “neither agree nor disagree”. This renders the statement nigh upon useless. The problem is a variation on the conundrum of comparing apples and oranges.
When we ask someone how much they agree or disagree with a statement, we are asking them where, on a continuum, they stand. The continuum can be sliced ... | Read More
I’ve Been Framed! Sampling and The Margins of Errors
Posted January 7, 2010 in Featured, Research Methodology
BY: JANE TANG, VP ANALYTICAL INTELLIGENCE – VISION CRITICAL
Part of the Series “Take Me Back To The Stats: Where Data and Insight Collide”
You’ve probably seen polls that are based on a “random sample of the Canadian population”. Or, to be more accurate, you’ve probably seen polls that SAY they are based on a “random sample of the Canadian population”. And while that expression is commonly used, it’s not exactly true. It simply isn’t possible to get a ... | Read More
Be Careful What You Fish For
Posted November 24, 2009 in Featured, Research Methodology
By: Jane Tang, VP Analytical Intelligence - Vision Critical
Part of the Series “Take Me Back To The Stats: Where Data and Insight Collide”
Statistical significance tests are a bit like eating fish. Most of the time, you get a wonderful meal (assuming you like seafood!). But if you eat a lot of fish and are not choosy about where it comes from, you might end up with a memorable bellyache.
The “data fishing” exercise you commonly see in market research is a ... | Read More
Are You Terrified or Disgusted? The Myth of Universal Expressions of Emotion
Posted November 16, 2009 in Featured, Research Methodology
By: Andrew Grenville, Chief Research Officer - Vision Critical
Part Of Series: Questions & Answers: On the Art and Science of Survey Research
Emotions play a powerful role in consumer choice. Researchers and marketers are coming to understand this more and more and, as a result, many people are trying to measure feelings. A lot of market researchers are using images of facial expressions to capture emotions. Some do it with cute little cartoon characters, others with pictures ... | Read More
Don’t Ask Why: The Answer Is Not What You Think It Is
Posted October 21, 2009 in Research Methodology
By: Andrew Grenville, Chief Research Officer, Vision Critical
Part Of Series: "Questions & Answers: On the Art and Science of Survey Research"
Why? That’s the question we researchers want the answer to all the time. But when we ask it, we never get the truth we’re looking for. What we get is a response that is driven by the social context in which we ask it. In other words, people give us the answers they think we are ... | Read More
