Business Research Methods William G. Zikmund

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Business Research MethodsWilliam G. Zikmund

• Chapter 11
• Observation Methods

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Scientific observation is the systematic process
of recording the behavioral patterns of people,
objects and occurrences as they are witnessed or
the compilation of evidence from records of past
events.
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What Can Be Observed
Phenomena Example
Human behavior or physical Shoppers
movement action pattern in a store Verbal
behavior Statements made by airline
travelers who wait in line Expressive
behavior Facial expressions, tone of voice,
and other form of body language
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What Can Be Observed
Phenomena Example
Spatial relations How close visitors at an and
locations art museum stand to
paintings Temporal patterns How long fast-food
customers wait for their order to be
served Physical objects What brand name items
are stored in consumers pantries Verbal
and Pictorial How women are depicted in
Records print ads
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Categories of Observation

• Human vs. mechanical
• Visible vs. hidden
• Direct vs. indirect
• Contrived vs. natural

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Observation of Human BehaviorBenefits

• Communication with respondent is not necessary
• Data without distortions due to self-report
  (e.g. without social desirability bias)
• No need to rely on respondents memory
• Nonverbal behavior data may be obtained
• Certain data may be obtained more quickly
• Environmental conditions may be recorded
• May be combined with survey to provide
  supplemental evidence

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Observation of Human BehaviorLimitations

• Cognitive phenomena cannot be observed
• Interpretation of data may be a problem
• Not all activity can be recorded
• Only short periods can be observed
• Observer bias possible
• Possible invasion of privacy

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Observation of Physical Objects

• Physical-trace evidence
• Wear and tear of a book indicates how often it
  has been read
• Garbology

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Response Latency

• Recording the decision time necessary to make a
  choice between two alternatives
• It is presumed to indicate the strength of
  preference between alternatives.

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Content Analysis

• Obtains data by observing and analyzing the
  content of advertisements, letters, articles,
  etc.
• Deals with the study of the message itself
• Measures the extent of emphasis or omission

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Mechanical Observation

• Traffic Counters
• Web Traffic (e.g., hits)
• Scanners
• Peoplemeter
• Physiological Measures
• Eye tracking
• Pupilometer
• Psychogalvanometer
• Voice pitch

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Eye Tracking Monitors

• Record how the subject actually reads or views an
  advertisement
• Measure unconscious eye movements

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Pupilometer

• This device observes and records changes in the
  diameter of the subjects pupils.

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Psychogalvanometer

• Measures galvanic skin response
• Involuntary changes in the electrical resistance
  of the skin
• Assumption physiological changes accompany
  emotional reactions

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Voice Pitch Analysis

• Measures emotional reactions through
  physiological changes in a persons voice