An approach where a theoretical framework is developed before the research is conducted.

Research projects that aim to describe users (and non-users) of a product, together with their attitudes towards the product.

A/B testing, at its simplest, is randomly showing a visitor one version of a page- (A) version or (B) version- and tracking the changes in behavior based on which version they saw. (A) version is normally your existing design ("control" in statistics lingo); and (B) version is the "challenger" with one copy or design element changed. In a "50/50 A/B split test," you're flipping a coin to decide which version of a page to show. A classic example would be comparing conversions resulting from serving either version (A) or (B), where the versions display different headlines. A/B tests are commonly applied to clicked-on ad copy and landing page copy or designs to determine which version drives the more desired result.

The difference between the true value of a parameter in the population and a value derived from a survey. Total error is the sum of the sampling and non-sampling errors in a survey.

Generally the person in any company responsible for selling or promoting the services which the company has to offer. In marketing research, this is typically the person at the research company who oversees the entire research process to deliver a project which meets the client's expectations. This person would normally be the client's key contact.

The ability of a measurement to match the actual value of the quantity being measured.

ACORN is a geo-demographic tool assisting business in understanding their target market. ACORN focuses on population location and other lifestyle variables. Individuals in rural locations have different purchasing behavior than those residing in bustling downtown neighborhoods. The information gathered by ACORN allows business to concentrate marketing strategies for specific geographic locations. This impacts marketing campaigns, where to open the next franchise, which store location to close and more.

Association for Consumer Research

An active buyer is a consumer that has made a purchase during the previous 12 months.

Testing on a target market segment employed to evaluate advertising theme concepts. The testing results can determine the most appropriate pricing, brand concepts, appeals, and positioning strategy concepts. Respondents provide responses to questionnaires, surveys or interviews.

A developed survey for the target audience with no previous contact by the examiner.

This measures a respondent's recollection or recall of an advertisement. The respondent's answers provide insight to the most memorable attribute of the advertisement. Generally, ad recall is requested immediately after the respondent views the advertisement. Recall is lessened over time.

Sawtooth Software enhances traditional conjoint analysis with Adaptive Conjoint Analysis. The software measures the respondent's answers to the initial interview questions. Based upon these initial responses, the software adapts and focuses on subject matter most valued by the respondent. This method overcomes burdening the respondent with extraneous information which can reduce the respondent's attention span. For more information, visit Sawtooth Software & GMI that offers Sawtooth's conjoint solution.

A type of causal relationship in which the effect of two variables on a third variable is additive (i.e. one variable does not counteract the effect of the other variable).

ARF is a collaborative effort to improve advertising, marketing and media research. ARF hosts conventions and training courses for continuing education. Visit the Advertising Research Foundation for further information.

The emotional response attached to an attitude. An emotion generated in response to a person, object, or event. The emotion or feeling toward a person or object is the affective component of attitudes.

Targeting consumers on the basis of their established buying patterns or trends.

A summary measure made by compounding two or more separate measures, e.g. national income and price index numbers.

A technique used to aid memory, something that stimulates remembering, i.e., picture, words. Reading or showing the respondent the possible answers to a specific question.

Any means (i.e., telephone, fax, mail) of informing a Data Collection Company of the study authorization to include the starting date, delivery of materials, quota, timing, cost, etc.

An acceptable amount of error during the research.

American Marketing Association

An analysis of variance procedure in which the effects of one or more metric-scaled extraneous variables (covariates) are removed from the dependent variable data before one conducts ANOVA.

A statistical method establishing the existence of a difference between several sample means.

The review of information gained from the responses to questionnaires completed for a study or other data and to arrive at conclusions or to make decisions and recommendations on the subject being studied.

Involves concealing respondents' identities from interviewers and/or researchers.

A research method requiring respondents to assign human like characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or forces of nature.

American Psychological Association

An ASP is a company that hosts services, products and applications on their server. Individuals then can purchase a subscription to access those services, products and applications hosted on the server. GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.) provides this service for market research.

A radio or television market region in which that specific population receives the same programming.

A type of cluster sampling where geographical areas are the clusters.

A summary measure of central tendency that is equal to the sum of a set of values divided by the number of values in the data.

American Statistical Association

A form of projective technique where participants are presented with some stimulus material and they are then asked to respond with the first thing that comes to their minds.

The researcher and respondent are not required to interact during the study at the same time.

The respondent is allowed to bring the product home for testing use. The respondent provides product information and reaction in a telephone survey, written survey or in a group session scheduled after a certain period of time.

Contacting a potential research respondent. The attempt does not require actual contact or that the potential respondent has agreed to participate.

A research study to obtain information on how people feel about certain products, ideas, or companies.

A research study to obtain information on how people feel about certain products, ideas or companies.

A two dimensional technique in which the respondent determines the two most important characteristics of a product.

A technique that is designed to develop lists of characteristics, uses, or benefits relevant to a particular product category.

A survey that the respondent self-administers by listening to the interview with computer aided audio. The respondent’s interview answers are typically recorded via a computer questionnaire.

Has two definitions in the context of Marketing Research:

1. Store Audit: A method of determining the number of product units that have been sold, by counting physical units in stores and combining that with a knowledge of the number ordered and stock levels.
2. Project Audit: Involves visiting a project site to ensure all project specifications are being met and agreed procedures are being followed.

The same variable is observed over time. The observations produce different values which are correlated.

A general term that is used to represent or summarize the relevant features of a set of values. The arithmetic mean is often used as a measure of average, but the median and the mode can also be used to summarize a set of values.

The average number of times an advert has been exposed to a specified television audience or universe.

Online market places where businesses can offer specific companies products or services at discounted prices, products or services through an auction, and buyers can receive tentative bids. The most successful B2B exchanges are with products that can be easily interchanged. It is predicted, however, that more services will begin to be offered through these exchanges which could include the fieldwork for market research.

People who were born between 1946 and 1964.

The generation referred to as "generation X" when birth rates were dramatically lowered from 1965-1976.

Researchers use this room to listen and observe qualitative research and the room is hidden from the observed focus groups by a one-way mirror. 

A validation process where a survey is first translated into another language and then translated back into the original language by a different person. The objective is to ensure that the original translation is accurate.

A scale with an equal number of favourable and unfavourable categories.

A style of data tabulation where the responses from each sub-group are listed for each question in the survey.

A type of graph where the data is displayed in the form of bars that can be arranged vertically or horizontally.

The result of a study conducted to obtain a snapshot or reading of current conditions prior to some change in market conditions or the introduction of some test conditions. The result is then used as a standard for comparison with subsequent studies.

Research conducted to gain knowledge as opposed to research aimed to solve specific problems.

Pre and post experiment measuring of subjects in each group (experimental and control).

A consumer's reaction, both mental and physical, toward a product or event.

A study conducted to obtain a snapshot or reading of current conditions prior to some change in market conditions or the introduction of some test conditions. These results are then used as a standard for comparison. Often used to refer to the first study in a series of like studies to be conducted over time at some regular interval.

These are specific subsets of a population based upon their needs and desires rather than on lifestyle of demographic measurements.

Responses that require the choice of one out of two possibilities. Examples would be yes/no or on/off questions.

A general term referring to the inaccuracy in a research study caused by non-sampling errors.

Questions which are phrased or expressed in such a way that they influence the respondent’s opinion. They may provide information which leads the respondent to consider the subject in a specific way. Bias may be introduced through verbal or facial expressions, body language, or by paraphrasing questions.

A sample that does not contain units in the same proportion as the population of interest.

A two-peaked frequency curve distribution. A mode consists of a single peak.

A study that independently draws from the Bemoulli population to create a sequence of trials.

Two opposing adjectives that define the opposite ends of a scale (such as a Semantic Differential Scale).

A population measurement noting the births in a year for every 1,000 in the population.

A statistic that is calculated to determine whether a linear relationship exists between two metric variables and it takes values between -1 and +1 (depending on the degree of the relationship). A negative value indicates that the variables move in opposite directions and a positive value indicates that they move in the same direction. A value of 0 indicates that there is no linear relationship (although there may be a non-linear relationship).

A procedure for deriving the equation that relates a single metric dependent variable and a single metric independent variable.

Multiple statistical strategies to analyze how two variables relate to one another.

A technique used to evaluate a package or product without benefit or influence of the brand name.

Small divisions of non-metropolitan counties for which statistics are held for grouping and numbering.

The relevant external variable that is used to group (or block) experimental units into groups so that the experimental group and the control group are matched.

Additional interviews involving a particular sub-group of a sample to ensure there are sufficient members of the sub-group in the resulting sample.

Physical features that border a market area and can be recognized by a computer.

A creative method of coming up with new ideas or solutions to a problem by generating a large number of ideas without subjecting them or the person who suggested them to critical evaluation. They can also be referred to as "ideation sessions".

A product or service to which human beings attach a bundle of tangible (functional product and service characteristics) and intangible (emotional and/or symbolic) meanings that add value. A brand has one strategic purpose and that is to differentiate itself from competitors.

 Consumer opinions of brand that are generally exposed and analyzed by qualitative research.

A term developed to describe the financial value of a brand to the bottom line profit of a business.

The set of core values that define a brand. These values remain constant over time even though the executional characteristics of packaging, advertising (and other marketing variables) may change. By defining the brand essence with clarity, a brand owner creates a template against which all marketing and NPD activity can be developed and integrated.

The total impression created in the mind of a potential consumer by a brand and all its functional and emotional associations. The total image can be seen as the sum of several associations.

A product name, usually other than that of the manufacturer or company.

The location of a brand in relation to its competitors in some pre-defined space. The space may be defined by criteria used by consumers, such as "value for money" or "age of consumer" etc.

The percentage of sales of a specific product category that are accounted for by one brand. Brand shares can be expressed in terms of the sales value or the volume of units sold.

The value which a brand would be given if represented on a company balance sheet.

The respondent decides to terminate the research interview before completion. This is more common for self-administered surveys than it is with research conducted by an actual interviewer.

Can have two similar meanings in the context of marketing research:

• A Brief can be a statement (usually in writing) of a business problem that could be alleviated by conducting some marketing research. Briefs are normally written by a client company for a research supplier and they usually have a background and an objectives section. A suggested methodology section can also be included.
• A Briefing can be a training session prior to starting work on a study in which all specifications and details of the study are reviewed. This is generally followed by practice (or pilot) interviews where they are being used.

A training session, prior to starting work on a study/survey, in which all of the survey specifications, questionnaire parts, and details of the interview are reviewed, explained, and clarified for all interviewers assigned to the project. This is generally followed by practice interviews being administered by one interviewer to another.

Online qualitative research that communicates with group members through a message board. Questions or tasks are posted by a moderator and the members access the site and respond to the moderator's promptings. Net-MR Software Suite provides bulletin board market research solutions.

Refers to the buyer and seller of a product or service. This market consists of a business selling its product or service to another business instead of selling to consumers. Specific market research is conducted with businesses to meet B2B needs.

Interviews with business people or experts within a particular field. Executive interviews are often used where the majority of knowledge of a subject is held by a minority of people.

A process buyers go through when deciding whether or not to purchase goods or services. Buying behavior can be influenced by a variety of external factors and motivations, including marketing activity.

The average volume purchased per buyer over the period of an analysis.

A tabulation of the outcome of calls made during a Computer-Aided Telephone Interview survey.

A repeat telephone call to a potential respondent to see if they can participate in a survey. Pursuing contact with a person that was not contacted on the first attempt or used to describe a follow-up with someone where contact was established (after an interview).

An extension of multiple regression analysis that deals with two dependent variables.

A projective technique where participants are presented with one or more pictures or cartoons that depict a situation. They are asked to suggest what will happen or what one character may be saying or thinking in response to another character or a situation.

A complete record of an interview with a respondent or a data entry record.

A computer-based survey that respondents complete usually at a central location after being recruited.

A type of conclusive research that aims to collect data on causal relationships.

A scale that asks respondents to choose from a limited number of alternatives. There are three main types of categorical scale; semantic differential, stapel, and Likert.

Certain products or services among a population requiring a study. This is an incident rate for that product or service. For example, the category usage of powder laundry detergent is 40% of the population that uses laundry detergent.

Research that attempts to explain the relationship between two variables (if A causes B to occur).

The conditional statement of inferring that the change in a single variable is responsible for a resulting change in another variable.

The United States Census Bureau's computer program to aid in the 1980 census.

The most basic unit that can be varied during a study.

Zones identified by the United States Census Bureau. There are four census regions and nine census divisions.

The groups of states that are included in the four census regions are:

1. West: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada. 
2. Midwest: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. 
3. South: Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, DC, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, and Tennessee. 
4. Northeast: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Percentage of Americans that were not accounted for by the census due to not answering the census.

A theorem that states that the sampling distribution curve (for sample sizes of 30 and over) will be centered on the population parameter value and it will have all the properties of a normal distribution.

A term used to describe a study conducted at a selected test site or sites in an area. The interviewing method is usually in person and done one-on-one or in groups.

Where the marketing researchers in an organisation are located together in one department.

The average value of a group of objects in a cluster.

A list of items to be examined or things to be done. For example, a supervisor may receive a check list with the materials for a job listing the supplies enclosed. A questionnaire may contain a list of items to be checked off by the respondent or the interviewer during the interview.

A statistical test that measures significance of the accuracy between the expected distribution and the observed distribution.

The person in the household with the largest income, whether from employment, pensions, state benefits, investments, or any other source. Where there are two people with the same income, the researcher should specify who to include in the study.

A 1998 law passed in the United States that protects children on the Internet by setting guidelines and regulations for websites that attract children or could deal with children of the United States in fashion. See the FTC's COPPA website for more information.

Discrete choice analysis involves conjoint research in which the results must match closely with the current market responses.

Individuals’ ages in years and months (which may be different to their Cognitive Age).

A measure used in advertising surveys that refers to the proportion of respondents who say they saw or heard an advertisement or a particular form of advertising.

A technique used to follow up on open-ended responses by asking participants to further explain their response to make it clearer.

Questions that aim to collect classification information and they are usually put at the end of a questionnaire.

A percentage measuring the amount of people that click on an ad compared to the amount of people that are exposed to the ad.

Any individual or organization that requests, commissions, or subscribes to all or any part of a market research project.

Marketing researchers who are the link between research clients and the marketing research department or supplier.

A question that offers the respondent answers from which they must choose from.

Describes a group of homes that are assumed to have similar demographic, social, and economic characteristics as one another within a neighborhood.

An analytical technique that arranges research data into mutually exclusive and collectively exhaustive groups (or clusters) where the contents of each cluster are similar to each other, but different to the other clusters in the analysis.

Video tapes with a number of TV commercials including the one(s) being tested and they are used to assess a commercial’s ability to stand out from the rest.

A reward given to participants or businesses for taking the time and trouble to cooperate in a marketing research study.

Tabulating or calculating collected survey responses. The tabulations or calculations are can completed by computer or manually.

A set of instructions regarding the allocation of codes to research data. It helps researchers identify and locate the variables to be used in data analysis.

A process used to quantify data so that it can be used to statistical analysis and data processing. The organizing of responses into categories and the assignment of a unique numerical code to each response prior to data entry.

A statistics term used with regression. The coefficient represents the percentage that the independent variable explains in the dependent variable.

A measure of variability (or dispersion) of a distribution and it is equal to the standard deviation expressed as a percentage of the mean.

The interpretation of a particular attitude projected at a person, object, or event.

Those in a study with similar demographic characteristics.

Recording and analyzing a cohort's activities for an extended period of time.

A bias in statistical procedure due to the correlation of multiple independent variables that influence a single dependent variable. This makes it difficult to recognize which independent variable is really causing the change in the dependent variable.

The extent to which research results can be meaningfully compared.

Scales that require respondents to judge an object, concept, or person as compared to another in the same category.

A group containing all events that do not occur in event A.

The number of interviews completed per hour of interviewing. Factors influencing completion rate are accuracy of sample, study incidence, interview length, screener length, and cooperation rate (i.e. how many qualified respondents will actually complete the survey).

Questionnaires that are completed through a pre-determined question sequence and are included in the final data set for the study.

An index that combines a number of separate variables, e.g. education, income, and occupation being used to form one overall measure of social class.

The average annual percentage growth rate for a series of n observations. The formula for determining the CAGR % is as follows:

(((last value/first value)^(1/n))-1)*100

A computer-based survey that respondents complete usually at a central location after being recruited.

A form of interviewing that is conducted over the Internet. Respondents complete a website (or HTML) survey and some computer software presents each question only after the previous question has been completed. Subsequent questions can be tailored to previous question answers, enabling sophisticated routing plans to be used in these surveys.

A description of a proposed product or service consisting of attributes and benefits.

The brief summary to describe a new product or service.

A test of consumer reaction to a description of a product or service rather than to the product or service itself.

A qualitative technique used to understand how participants view products or services by asking them to assign the products/services to certain areas of a diagram. Primarily this is used to stimulate a discussion on the certain products or services and why they are viewed a particular way.

Conclusive research involves the use of highly structured techniques (such as questionnaires with closed questions) with statistically representative samples in order to prove or disprove hypotheses.

The observed relationship between causes and effects and the degree to which they occur together.

Using past results to predict a current very similar project because of valid measurement techniques.

The probability of a research outcome occurring if a state or condition was to exist.

A range of values centred on the sample estimate that is known to contain the true value with a given degree of confidence (usually 95%).

A percentage (usually 95%) that reflects the degree of certainty that the true value lies within the confidence interval. It is the minimum probability of not rejecting a true null hypothesis (committing a Type I error) and is equal to one minus the significance level.

The two values from each end of a confidence interval.

The result of an independent and an extraneous variable indistinguishably affecting a dependent variable. Control groups are often used to prevent confounding in research.

A research technique that aims to describe how consumers make complex decisions by assuming the decisions are based on a number of factors considered jointly (hence the name) and they trade off some factors for others. The technique requires participants to choose a limited number of attributes from a selection, thereby providing an indication of the importance attached to particular attributes.

A technique that allows moderators to present hypothetical products or services with different attributes to respondents in an effort to stimulate conversation on the importance of certain attributes to products or services to help the researchers understand the value associated with each attribute.

The identifying of completed questionnaires with data that are out of the permissible range, logically inconsistent, or have extreme values. Data that is out of the range of the coding scheme is inadmissible.

Scales asking participants to assign their individual values perceptions of certain attributes so that the sum of all attribute values equals a certain number of points (100 is a common number).

A construct is defined by other constructs in the set and the relationship that occurs between the constructs. This helps in setting boundaries for constructs.

An idea that powers research, for example, hypotheses or concepts are considered constructs.

The ultimate user who purchases a product or service to satisfy their needs.

A study that aims to measure the tendency of consumers to confuse the company that makes a particular brand with another company, or to confuse one brand with another.

The dollar amount that expresses what consumers put toward a purchase on goods and services.

After identifying target markets, it is the process of finding specific firms or individuals that might be interested in purchasing the company's product or service.

A way of measuring inflation that is computed by taking a basket of goods and services and determining the price of those goods and services in a base year and the current price. The values can then be compared over several years to determine the increase in nominal value of the goods and services.

An investigation of the behaviour, preferences, attitudes, or opinions of a target group sample, collected through a questionnaire.

When the interviewer has actual interaction with a potential research respondent.

A sample group that possesses an individual or group that does not represent the population.

A process used to examine a prepared report based on predetermined criteria to ensure that all required information is included in the write-up. Content analysis is often applied to advertising copy.

The difference between an actual frequency and an expected frequency in a table.

Data from a measurement scale where it is permissible to calculate intermediate values.

A type of non-comparative scale that offers respondents a form of continuum (such as a line) on which to provide a rating of an object according to a criterion.

A variable that has the potential to represent infinite numbers falling between a given interval. Continuous variables are usually used as part of a measuring process. Grade Point Averages are continuous variables (can exist anywhere between 0.0 and 4.0).

Two study groups are comprised of members from a similar population. One study group will interact with a stimulus while the second study group will not receive that stimulus. The first group is the test group, and the second group is the control group.

Otherwise known as the control group. The control cell does not receive the stimulus that the test group receives. The control cell is compared to the results of the test group.

Replacing current subjects in a study with a different subject that is consistent with the parameters of the initial subject.

A non-random sample that is collected based on those units that are made easily available to the researchers. There are no quotas or qualifications necessary for sample selection in a convenience sample.

Understanding how constructs that should be related to one another actually are related to one another through measurement processes that prove the relationships.

The proportion of eligible respondents who, having been contacted, agree to participate in a research study. The cooperation rate is impacted by the length of the interview, the subject matter, and the type of person being interviewed.

The process of determining the level of understanding, impact, awareness, and credibility that your advertisement generates.

The existence of a relationship between two variables (which may or may not be a causal relationship - correlation on its own does not infer causality).

A statistic that is calculated to determine whether a linear relationship exists between two metric variables and it takes values between -1 and +1 (depending on the degree of the relationship). A negative value indicates that the variables move in opposite directions and a positive value indicates that they move in the same direction. A value of 0 indicates that there is no linear relationship (although there may be a non-linear relationship).

The dollar value of completing an interview in a survey research project. Determined by dividing the total budget for a project by the number of completed interviews.

A technique that is used to increase respondents’ willingness to answer questions honestly. Questions are prefaced with statements that attempt to justify an answer that may go against social group norms, e.g. “recent surveys have indicated that the majority of people have difficulty saving every month”.

A metric independent variable (i.e. based on data that can be analysed such as that from an interval or a ratio scale).

Completes per hour.

The effectiveness of forecasting a criterion variable using a measurement instrument.

Respondents might be disqualified for the survey research based upon their industry of employment. It is typical that the research study excludes those participants that are employed in the industry related to the research subject matter.

Consumer behavior that proves which products are acceptable substitutes for one another. Marketers attempt to reduce cross-elasticity by differentiating their products and by establishing brand equity.

A process used to analyze data that attempts to better understand the results of a survey by comparing the answers of one question to the way each respondent answered one or more questions on the rest of the survey. Crosstab can generate statistical outputs from research tables.

The total sum of learned beliefs, values, and customs that serve to regulate the consumer behaviour of members of a particular society.

Market research that is tailored to a specific client's needs.

Conducted research to better understand how satisfied customers are with particular products or services and the attributes of the product or service.

Data are research facts that are based on respondents’ answers to questions.

The gathering of information (figures, words, or responses) that describe some situation from which conclusions can be drawn. The gathering of information from administered questionnaires.

Any device used to gather information from a respondent, for example, questionnaires, computers, tape recorders, or video tape machines.

The act of inputting data into a database.

Data mining is the ability to query large data sets. This requires advanced skills and is a promising solution.

The counting and tabulation of raw facts (i.e. data) into a form that is suitable for future use. This term is usually associated with computer tabulations.

A set of instructions for editing and coding the questionnaire and specifies how the data should be evaluated for inconsistencies, skipped questions, etc, and then verified.

A data warehouse is a massive collection of essential business intelligence. The use of data warehouse is evolving to include operational and analytic data.

Computer-run software that manages data and allows for saving and updating the data so that the data can effectively be used and manipulated at a later date.

A measurement tool for advertisers that measures a proportion of the population that remembers a specific television ad within 24 hours of its initial airing.

The date when an assignment must be completed.

The presentation of research findings to clients.

A census that is conducted every ten years during the beginning of the decade.

See Conclusive Research.

Degrees of Freedom refers to the number of ways in which values could be assigned within a system. For example a table of observations with p rows and q columns has (p-1)(q-1) degrees of freedom. (In a sample of size n grouped into k intervals, there are always (k-1) degrees of freedom, because if (k-1) frequencies are specified, the other is determined by the total size n.)

An approach to forecasting where a group of people produce separate forecasts and then each member is given information about the other forecasts and asked to revise their original estimate. The objective of the approach is to converge forecast estimates.

The responses given when respondents attempt to guess the purpose of the questions being asked. Demand artifacts can be the result of experimental conditions.

Based on the age, gender, life-cycle stage, income, and occupation of consumers.

The study of an area's characteristics which include its size, structure, and changes to specific populations.

A measurement to identify the crowdedness in a given area by computing the total population of the geographic unit and dividing it by the land area (usually in miles or kilometers).

Dependence Techniques are types of multivariate analysis techniques that are used when one or more of the variables can be identified as dependent variables and the remaining variables can be identified as independent.

A concept that's value changes as an independent variable changes. Statistics are used to explain the strength of the relationship between the two variables. Can also be called a criterion variable.

A type of qualitative research involving an unstructured personal interview with a single respondent, conducted by a highly skilled interviewer. The purpose of in-depth interviews is to understand the underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings of respondents on a particular subject.

Data that is collected to provide facts rather than causal or exploratory research.

Studies that cover the basic who, what, when, where, and how questions.

A pre-experiment set-up designed to reduce or eliminate extraneous causal factors.

The systematic examination of all available secondary data in the context of a particular marketing research problem.

A type of qualitative research involving an unstructured personal interview with a single respondent, conducted by a highly skilled interviewer. The purpose of in-depth interviews is to understand the underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings of respondents on a particular subject.

A log where facts are recorded relating to a respondent's experiences with a subject or product. Diaries can also be a record of regular purchases or viewing habits and they are often given to respondents when they receive a product to use at home.

A type of consumer panel where participants record activities or events in a diary.

The asking of additional questions to encourage a respondent to enlarge on a particular answer or opinion so that their answer can be further understood by the researcher.

A system that involves identifying coordinates of a market area as latitude and longitude, and then being able to return and re-identify each twist and turn that the market makes.

Direct Observation is when behavior or events are observed while something is happening.

A question to research participants about their own behavior (as opposed to an indirect question that asks them about the behavior of other people).

A collection of data that is kept in an index or directory so that that it can be easily revisited.

The accepted abbreviation to indicate that a phone number has been disconnected, usually noted on the dialing report by the interviewer.

A quantitative variable that has a set amount of possibilities as opposed to continuous variables which have an infinite set. An example would be the number of individuals in a family.

An analysis technique where the dependent variable is non-metric (i.e. nominal or ordinal in nature) and the independent variables are metric (i.e. interval or ratio in nature).

The value that is placed in front of the independent variable and describes the level of affect that the variable carries.

The idea that two constructs that are supposed to be different are in fact observed to be different.

An open-ended question that does not have a set amount of responses available, but allows the respondent to share all that comes to mind in order for them to answer the question in their own words.

An observation in which the people, objects, or occurrences do not know that they are being monitored.

A survey that is distributed through the mail by a disk, and participants complete the survey on their own computers.

The amount of money that individuals have after removing taxes and other required payments. Disposable income is then available to spend as the consumer wishes. 

Sampling that attempts to represent the true population by means of proportions of individuals with given characteristics. Disproportional refers to a non-representative sample and optimal refers to a well represented sample.

An answer to a question that makes the respondent ineligible to participate in the research project.

The ability to study a particular product and have information available for the product such as how many stores carry it, the number of facings, special displays, and the prices associated with the particular product.

Interviews that are conducted face to face in the consumer's homes.

A product test where both the researcher administering the test and the participants are unaware of the complete identity of the products being tested.

A sample that is pulled from an existing larger sample because of the inexpensive first sample. The sub-sample is then selected from the larger sample based on desired population characteristics.

Respondents that leave the survey prior to termination or survey completion.

A group discussion with two moderators, each moderator having a different role, e.g. one to ensure the smooth running of the group and the other to discuss or explain key issues.

A procedure used during focus group recruiting that collects names and phone numbers for future focus group participants, and verifies that the screened individual has not participated recently in more focus groups than what is desired.

The distance between the first and seventh sample eighths.

The analysis of economic systems containing supply and demand data using statistical models.

A system of checking and verifying that questionnaires were properly completed and accurate to the respondent’s best knowledge.

Usually denoted as y, a variable that is influenced to some extent by one or more other (independent) variables.

A measurement that explains the volume of the shift in a single variable as a response to movement of another variable.

The use of CRM to both customers of online companies and to use the Internet as part of a normal company’s CRM program.

Computer processing that is able to manipulate raw data and uncover relationships with little intrinsic value. Declarative and summary reports can be produced using electronic data processing.

Specified characteristics that potential participants must possess in order to be involved in a particular research project.

Those people whose children have left or are about to leave the family home.

A phenomenon where many survey responses fall into just a few categories at the end of a measurement scale.

Electronic Point Of Sale Data measures sales of products as they are being paid for by consumers.

A testing method using two similar instruments to obtain the same or very similar measurements of a single object.

Computer programs that accept instructions from the user to check for logical errors in the data.

ESOMAR is the European based international association of market researchers. Amongst many other activities, ESOMAR issues guidelines on the conduct of market research, and these guidelines are binding on it members. These guidelines include sections on using the Internet for market research.

The most important guidelines for researchers using the Internet are those provided by ESOMAR and ARF. These rules include guidance on providing Privacy Policies, of the special rules for interviewing children, and the need to avoid spam. The guidelines can be downloaded from ESOMAR.

Ethnography is a qualitative method of studying and learning about a person or group of people. Typically, ethnography involves the study of a small group of subjects in their own environment. To develop an understanding of what it is like to live in a setting, the researcher must both become a participant in the life of the setting while also maintaining the stance of an observer, someone who describes the experience. Rather than looking at a small set of variables and a large number of subjects ("the big picture"), the ethnographer attempts to get a detailed understanding of the circumstances of the few subjects being studied. Ethnographic accounts, then, are both descriptive and interpretive; descriptive, because detail is so crucial, and interpretive, because the ethnographer must determine the significance of what she observes without gathering broad, statistical information. The term ethnography may be loosely applied to any qualitative research project where the purpose is to provide a detailed, in-depth description. This is sometimes referred to as "thick description." The use of the term "qualitative" here is meant to distinguish this research from more "quantitative" or statistically oriented research. The two approaches, i.e., quantitative and qualitative, while often complimentary, ultimately have different aims.

A sample’s subset. Events that are simple contain only a single outcome as a result of that event. An example would be in rolling a die, only a single outcome is allowed, this set of outcomes consists of six simple events (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).

Defined as the prefix (first three numbers) of a telephone number. The numbers represent the town, community or neighborhood that the telephone number is assigned.

A document that summarises all the sections of a market research report. It includes the basis for why the research was performed, the results that concluded from the research and where they will take the company, and what moves the management should make to best react to the research findings.

Printed cards, pictures, statements, actual products or advertisements given or shown to a respondent during the course of an interview, and usually relating to specific questions within the questionnaire. These aid the respondent in answering the question.

Expected Value in a cross-tabulation is the number of objects one would expect to find after multiplying the probabilities of the row and the column in the table (which may be different to the observed value).

Qualitative research that allows clients to observe and hear consumer’s thoughts and opinions regarding the client’s product or service.

A set of experimental procedures specifying: the test units, sampling procedures, independent variables, dependent variables and how external variables are to be controlled. A research design which allows the researcher to manipulate the independent variables and observe the reactions caused by such changes.

The error caused by the conditions of the experiment itself and it creates uncertainty that the observed effects may not be due to the manipulation of the independent variable.

The smallest base object that is targeted during an experiment. Can also be referred to as a unit, subject, participant, respondent, or unit of analysis.

A form of exploratory research that involves discussing a research problem with someone (or a group of people) with experience on a particular subject.

The most basic level of research that is performed to clarify the exact problem at hand. The initial investigation of a problem that uses unstructured techniques (such as group discussions or in-depth interviews) in order to develop hypotheses and/or understand a problem further.

A qualitative technique in which the moderator asks the participants to illustrate their feelings toward a particular product or service by creating a picture.

A home use test involves participants evaluating products in their own homes, or more generally, in a natural usage environment. The purpose of the test is to make an evaluation of a product after more experience with it than just some initial use.

Physical objects that are presented in focus groups to so that the respondent’s reactions can be measured. 

The reality in which measured causal relationships in an experiment can be applied to uninvolved people, times, and settings.

Factors that are not manipulated as part of an experiment, but they may exert some influence on the dependent variable under study.

A statistical test of the equality of the variances of two populations.

Determining that a measurement truly represents that which it is intended to measure.

An underlying construct defined by a linear combination of variables.

A search performed by researchers through rating scales that allow another smaller set of factors or composite variables to emerge and can then identify underlying information.

The correlation (or regression weight) of a variable with a factor.

A type of statistical experimental design where units are assigned to groups that represent all possible combinations of the independent variables of interest.

A misleading statistic that fails to be accurate because of some missing detail. For example, .78 and .7899 represent different probabilities.

The woman most responsible for maintaining the household. May or may not be the primary wage earner.

The physical location where the interviewing takes place.

An experiment conducted in a natural setting (where the external validity is usually higher than the internal validity).

Interviewers and supervisors who are involved in data collection.

The process of collecting survey data.

The person who is responsible for selecting, hiring, and training interviewers. He or she is also responsible for the data collection phase of the survey and following the agreed instructions.

A question in a questionnaire to ensure that respondents meet the required criteria for a subsequent question (or questions) in a survey.

Information that answers a research question.

A noted adjustment to a required sample size when the sample needs to be greater than or equal to a stated percentage of the total population.

A qualitative technique used by a moderator where images of people, places, or things are shown to participants and they are then asked to interpret the pictures around a given topic. The same images are shown in several sessions to different respondents so that results can be applied as norms.

A marketing research technique for qualitative data that involves a small group of people (6-10) that share a common set characteristics (demographics, attitudes, etc.) and participate in a discussion of predetermined topics led by a moderator. There are opportunities to conduct focus groups with the use of focus group software.

A type of qualitative research that consists of an informal discussion of a particular topic with a small number of selected participants (usually 8-12). The discussion is guided by a skilled moderator who does not influence the outcome, but ensures that all the subject areas are discussed by the group and the views of the participants are as clear as possible. The ideal number of participants depends on the subject matter being discussed, e.g. complex subjects may be better discussed with fewer participants - possibly 4-6.

A qualitative press advertising test where the advertising is placed in a folder with competitive advertising (and editorial extracts) and respondents are asked to page through it.

A scale that does not allow a neutral or no opinion choice.

An expected future result based on birth, death, and migration assumptions to describe a particular demographic characteristic for population or number of households.

The average number of times an advert has been exposed to a specified television audience or universe.

A representation of the number of counts of objects or responses, usually in the form of a table or graph.

A systematic bias caused by some respondents tending to agree with whatever is presented to them. Such a bias may be caused by either respondents or interviewers being overly friendly during interviews.

A measure of how readily a brand name or concept comes to respondent' minds. It is the first answer to questions such as unaided brand awareness.

A focus group comprised of 8-10 respondents. Mini-groups consist of less than 8 participants.

A company that is hired to design, manage, and implement a research project, as well as analyse and interpret the data. The company may collect the data themselves or hire a data collection company for this phase of a project.

A way of ordering questions in a questionnaire so that general questions are asked before specific questions. This ordering avoids the responses to specific questions biasing the answers to general questions.

A device that measures changes in the electrical resistance of the skin (due to perspiration).

18-29 year old post baby-boomers.

Geodemographic Information is based on a combination of demographics (age, gender, life-cycle stage, and occupation) with geographical area.

An analysis technique combining geographic and demographic variables.

A business tool for interpreting data that consists of a demographic database, digitized maps, a computer, and software.

A market site in the shape of a concentric circle or polygon that is to be analyzed.

A type of non-comparative scale that offers respondents a form of continuum (such as a line) on which to provide a rating of an object according to a criterion.

A reward given to participants or businesses for taking the time and trouble to cooperate in a marketing research study.

A means of testing more than one variable at a time.

Television Rating (TVR) = (reach * frequency)

One TVR represents 1% of a specified television audience or universe seeing an advert at least once. (At extremes, television ratings can be made from either many people seeing an advert only once, or just a few people seeing an advert many times.)

Group interaction. An effective moderator can enable group dynamics to promote a beneficial discussion.

A qualitative research technique involving a discussion with a group of respondents, led by a moderator. Otherwise known as focus groups, group discussions, panels, and group depth interviews.

The total increase or decrease in a population during a given period divided by the average population in that period.

A Hall Test is where research participants are invited to a central location to participate in some (usually quantitative) market research.

The simplest type of tabulation possible; consists of a manual count of the answers to certain questions on the questionnaires.

A way of tallying or counting by accumulating identical lines into groups of five. Each mark or line represents one respondent or item.

An outdated term of the U.S. Census Bureau. Householder, the new term, is the person who completes the Census Questionnaire.

A scale for measuring general, overall opinion of a product. It indicates the extent of respondents' overall liking or disliking for something, e.g. a product they tasted or a concept they viewed.

A technique used during depth interviews that aims to identify significant personal views that would otherwise not be revealed by respondents using a direct approach.

A vertical bar chart where the height of the bars represents the data.

History Error occurs in experiments when an unexpected (but significant) effect occurs that has an impact on the dependent variable being measured.

A survey where an interviewer enters a participant’s home to take an inventory of specific products present at that time.

Groups in which the units or individuals have extremely similar characteristics.

The incentive for focus group participants. The amount can vary depending upon on the difficulty of recruiting the participants.

The individual responsible for welcoming the focus group participants and for preparing the focus group room. The hostess also provides food for the participants and the client observers, and re-screening respondents.

All persons who occupy a housing unit.

A house, apartment, group of rooms, or a single room occupied as separate living quarters.

A research method in which the researcher is immersed in the system or group being studied.

Test to determine whether the difference between proportions is greater than would be expected because of sampling error.

The code of conduct of ESOMAR and sets out the rights and responsibilities of those involved in marketing and social research.

Identification information lists details such as the name and address of participants in a market research project whereby they can be identified.

Alternatives in a question that are not expressed openly. Such alternatives may have lower chance of being selected and therefore the data may be biased.

The population as suggested by the sample, i.e. it is that part of the population of interest that was available for the research. When a convenience sample is used or where there is sampling frame error, the implied population could be significantly different to the population of interest (or the ideal population).

A type of qualitative research involving an unstructured personal interview with a single respondent, conducted by a highly skilled interviewer. The purpose of in-depth interviews is to understand the underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings of respondents on a particular subject.

The focus group recruiting of people who are physically located within the facility.

Where participants are asked survey questions face-to-face in the street.

A reward given to participants or businesses for taking the time and trouble to cooperate in a marketing research study. The amount varies depending upon various circumstances.

The proportion of respondents contacted in a survey who qualify for the survey.

Measurement of a variable in one population has no effect on the measurement of the variable in the other.

A variable that exerts some influence on another (dependent) variable. Research experiments usually involve some manipulation of independent variables and measurement of dependent variables to investigate the relationship between them.

A variable that is determined by dividing one measurement by another, and it is usually expressed as a percentage. Indices can be used to show variations over time, by comparing subsequent measurements of a variable with an initial measurement (an index of 100 indicates no change). Indices can also show the relative incidence of a particular characteristic in two samples, by dividing the percentage of one sample by the other, indices of 120 and over or 80 and below generally indicate above-average and below-average skews respectively.

An observation technique where some record of past behaviour is used to deduce what happened during an event, e.g. looking at packaging usage in a fast food restaurant to understand what flavoured drinks sell the most.

The initial investigation of a problem that uses unstructured techniques (such as group discussions or in-depth interviews) in order to develop hypotheses and/or understand a problem further.

The analysis of data to test a specific hypothesis.

The principle that researchers should try to avoid both uninformed and misinformed participation by subjects in research.

A type of non-sampling error caused by the survey instrument (or questionnaire) itself, such as unclear wording, asking respondents for information they are unable to supply, or the instrument being changed in some way during the course of the research.

The effect of all the factors working together, which is greater than the sum of the separate effects.

Asking questions and recording answers via computer.

Interactive Voice Response (IVR) research allows respondents to take surveys by interacting with a computer using a telephone touch pad instead of a computer keyboard, incoming telephone call, direct mail questionnaire, or face-to-face interview. Respondents call a toll-free phone number, enter a code, and then take a survey. Respondents enter their responses by using the touch-buttons on the phone's keypad. If a "voice capture" feature is used, open-ended responses are digitally recorded when the respondent speaks into the phone's mouthpiece. The data captured are available almost instantaneously to the researcher. A common application of IVR is to combine the technology with a respondent incentive. For example, phone cards, preloaded with a given amount of phone time, are printed with the survey company's name and phone number for respondents to call. The cards are disseminated to the desired respondent universe with instructions that by calling the phone number printed on the card and completing the survey, the respondent will be given the activation number for the free phone minutes. Dissemination of the cards can be by mail or in person, the latter being of particular benefit when trying to research a universe that is gathered in one place for a brief point in time (car races, bars, mall openings, state fairs, etc.). The IVR application works particularly well among respondents who are less likely to be willing to accept telephone/intercept interviews and among respondents who do not have computer or Internet access. Additionally, respondents with literacy limitations and those with language barriers to English are easily accommodated by this technology. It should be noted that IVR research technology can be combined with more traditional research techniques to form a hybrid interview methodology. For example, if certain stimuli need to be presented, such as pictures of new package designs, the stimuli can be provided to the respondent on paper and then the survey administered via IVR.

A type of central location interviewing where respondents are approached (or intercepted) in high traffic locations such as grocery stores or shopping malls. The main part of the interview can take place either on the mall floor or in another location (usually nearby).

Interdependency is when variables each influence each other to some degree.

Ability to produce similar results using different samples to measure a phenomenon during the same time period.

The process of eliciting support for a company and its activities among its own employees, in order to encourage them to promote its goals. This process can happen at a number of levels, from increasing awareness of individual products or marketing campaigns, to explaining overall business strategy.

A measure of the accuracy of an experiment in terms of the degree to which changes in the dependent variable can be attributed to manipulations of the independent variable.

A measure of variability and it is the range between the upper and lower quartiles (i.e. the middle 50% of a distribution) and it is equal to the difference between the 75th and the 25th percentile.

Taking a given number of units equally selected over the full population of study. The nth number interval is derived by dividing the total number of units by the sample number desired.

A scale where equal intervals in the scale correspond to equal changes in the characteristic being measured, e.g. temperature scales (Celsius/Fahrenheit). Differences between objects can be analysed statistically (which is not possible with nominal or ordinal scales).

Any form of contact with a respondent in order to collect information for market research purposes (as defined in the ICC/ESOMAR INTERNATIONAL CODE ON MARKET AND SOCIAL RESEARCH).

The person responsible for recruiting participants for a focus group or the person administering a questionnaire.

Interviewer Cheating is when interviewers knowingly do not follow their instructions.

Written directions instructing how to conduct the interview.

The breakdown of data into individual countries (or cultural units) and analysis within each individual country.

The process of collecting information about respondents without their knowledge.

A type of non-comparative scale where each choice category has some form of description (as opposed to a semantic differential scale, where only the extreme categories are labelled).

A type of non-probability sample where the selection of units is based on the judgement of the researcher.

A jump page may be a pop-up window or animation page directing the Internet user to a product or service. This usually occurs when the browser is loading up another page unrelated to the jump page advertisement.

A form of exploratory research that involves discussing a research problem with someone (or a group of people) with experience on a particular subject.

A method used by interviewers to record answers to open-ended questions where only the important words and phrases are recorded.

Keywords are words that have significant relevancy to a specific web page. Keywords are purchased for ad placement on search engines through Pay-Per-Click marketing.

A non-parametric goodness-of-fit test that compares the cumulative distribution function for a variable with a specified distribution, based on one sample.

A non-parametric statistical test to determine whether two distributions are the same. The test takes into account differences in means, dispersion, and skewness.

Any civilians of working age that are currently employed or seeking employment, and members of the military currently living in the United States.

An experiment that is conducted in an artificial setting (where the internal validity is usually higher than the external validity).

Used in focus groups to build on responses until met with a psychological need for the ego or status. A consumer's attitude toward a product will yield "why" questions until the motive for the behavior is identified.

An instance when a consumer comes across an online banner ad, then visits the advertised website later because they had seen it earlier. It is only a latent click through if the consumer does not click directly on the banner ad. Also referred to as a "view through".

A question that suggests an answer by the way in which the question is worded.

This is a demand that new software and operating systems can read or convert old data and will work with the new technology. Legacy issues strain productivity and damage efficiency by preventing a company for upgrading to improved solutions.

The time it takes to ask the questions and record the answers in a survey. This time should include any time required to taste products or review concepts etc. Screening time should be shown separately so that accurate completion rates can be calculated.

A term that originally referred to the attitudes, interests, and opinions of research participants, but it can be used to refer to differences in behaviour that relate to social values.

Consumer behaviors that can be attributed to a certain population segment's lifestyle. This includes interests, ownership, and hobbies.

An attitude scale that measures the level to which the respondent "agrees" or "disagrees" with a given statement in regard to a particular product or service. The scale will give an odd number of choices with an equal amount of agreement/disagreement choices on either side of a neutral option.

A type of regression analysis between variables that are believed to have a linear relationship.

The beginning of the survey is selected randomly in order to prevent List Order Bias.

Telephone numbers, which are available in public lists, like a directory.

A question that suggests an answer by the way in which the question is worded.

Binary model of regression analysis that utilizes an S-shaped curve. For each question, responses can only be one of two options, like yes or no; or zero or one.

One of two censuses issued in the United States every ten years that contains 26 additional population questions and 20 additional housing questions than what the short form contains. Data for large geographic areas is accessible, but not smaller areas due to protecting respondent anonymity.

A research study conducted over time by observing a certain sample set to understand developmental trends. Can use the same sample set over decades, or could utilize a new sample at set intervals.

Data that has been encoded into a form that is recognizable for a computer. Optical character recognition (OCR) is able to read magnetic encoding.

The study of marketing processes, activities, institutions, and results from a broad perspective such as a nation, in which cultural, political, and social, as well as economic interaction are investigated. It is marketing in a larger context than any one firm.

A set of the sample which has been screened and previously accepted to participate in studies with a particular company. The company then proceeds to periodically send surveys to such participants.

A survey where respondents are asked to complete a questionnaire (unaided) and return it to the sender either by post or e-mail. The respondents may or may not be recruited in advance of the survey.

When the pre-testing in an experiment has a systematic effect on the main experimental results, regardless of what happens between the measurements.

A type of central location interviewing where respondents are approached (or intercepted) in high traffic locations such as grocery stores or shopping malls. The main part of the interview can take place either on the mall floor or in another location (usually nearby).

A summary report of the survey data covering the highlights or key findings.

Computer generated maps that include all types of demographic information relating to a particular geographic area. The software that generates these maps is also developed to identify the geographic sites that best target a particular market.

For each question on a survey, the marginal is how many people responded to a particular question. It becomes the parameter for responses on each question. The marginal is generally computer-generated and is used to monitor panel response integrity.

The geographical area or areas in which a research project takes place, e.g. part or all of a country, or part or all of a city.

Any organized effort to gather information about markets or customers. It is a very important component of business strategy. (According to McQuarrie, Edward (2005), The market research toolbox: a concise guide for beginners (2nd ed.), SAGE, ISBN 978-1-4129-1319-5.)

Australia's market research organization.

A percentage of the market that is purchasing a particular brand, product, or supplier.

The research technique that creates an actual market situation. The effects of a new product's advertising, price changes, and more can be measured with controlled variables.

A set of activities that businesses and other organizations create transfers of value between themselves and their customers. Generally revolves around products and services for the customer.

The idea that marketing should cater to the customer needs and wants as opposed to what the company wants.

A set of formal procedures for collecting and analysing data from all sources and disseminating information regularly to marketing decision makers.

A mix of product, price, promotion, and place (distribution) that best meet the needs of targeted customers.

A professional society based in the US, for those who are involved or concerned with marketing and opinion research. Its mission is to promote excellence in marketing and opinion research by providing members with a variety of opportunities for advancing and expanding their marketing research and related business skills and to act as an industry advocate with appropriate government entities, other associations, and the public.

Process using matrices to find the probability of users in one brand category switching to a different brand the next time they buy in that category. Represents significant results and can now be measured by retail scanners.

A technique used to chart a consumer's perceptions and preferences regarding a particular product with a visual aid, like a graph or map.

Maturation Error occurs in experiments when there is a gradual change in the dependent variable over time that is not caused by the independent variable, e.g. participants’ knowledge levels increasing over the period of an experiment.

An average found by summing all observations then dividing the sum by the number of observations.

The specific location of a single quantity in a frequency distribution. For example, the mean is found in the middle of the frequency distribution.

A difference between an expected measurement and the actual information that was measured.

Measurement timing error occurs in experiments when there are changes in the dependent variable that are caused by taking measurements at different times.

Statistics that describe the location within a data set. Examples of measures of location are the 25th percentile or the largest value. The mean, median, and mode are also examples of measures of location (in addition to being measures of central tendency).

Measures of variability (or dispersion) are those that indicate the spread of a distribution. Examples of measures of variability are: range, interquartile range, variance, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation.

This term refers to methods of message communication. Media is the plural of medium. Magazines, newspapers, radio, television, and billboards are referred to as advertising media.

Research that is centered on issues of media selection and efficiency.

A measure of central tendency that identifies the middle-point value (or 50th percentile) in a set of values when they are arranged in order of magnitude.

A recorded account of the exact process and times used to conduct a humanistic inquiry. Biases or distortions need to be especially noted.

The procedure used as a proven method that, when repeated, should yield the same result. Steps need to be recorded properly so that the procedure can be redone exactly.

Metrics are determined by measurable variables that define progress. There are several categories of metrics, from weight measurements to sales measurements in a company. The intervals between metrics on a particular scale are significant ratios to be used when quantifying metrics.

Files that show the full range of responses individuals complete in a certain category (i.e. occupation, place of work, etc.) on the United States Census. This information is connected to an anonymous respondent and is available for the public at the Public-Use Microdata Samples.

The respondent decides not to complete the interview and will cooperate no further.

A focus group with fewer participants (usually 4-6) than the normal 8-12.

Employing various research techniques for one research project. This can be a time consuming and costly technique. Advances in Net-centric solutions are making this proven research method more feasible now.

The opportunity that one has to change residence by means of geographic movement.

A measure of central tendency that identifies the most frequently occurring value in a set of values.

Where a group of pre-recruited research participants are all in email contact with a facilitator and the facilitator emails questions to them on a particular subject. At periodic intervals, the facilitator produces a summary of views and sends it to all the participants. It is similar to an online focus group in that the participants are unable to see each other therefore no visual signals can be communicated, although anonymity can be assured.

Someone who is the leader of (but does not influence the outcome of) a focus group discussion, in-depth interview, or other meeting. Often works from pre-determined outline of subjects to be covered.

Consumer test where only a single product is evaluated.

A quality control measure which may involve observing, auditing, and checking the interviewing for the purposes of ensuring required procedures are followed and to give feedback and instruction to the interviewers. Monitoring is one means of validating or giving assurance that data is collected from qualified respondents who are interviewed under prescribed conditions. Monitoring can be done in person for face-to-face interviews or by telephone for telephone interviews.

A visual tool that represents the atmosphere or feel of an intended advertisement or to research a consumer's experience of a brand or product.

Mortality error occurs in experiments when changes in the dependent variable are caused by experimental units no longer being part of the experiment.

The mean of a series of measurements that have been taken over a period of time. Moving averages can be used to eliminate a seasonal bias in some data.

Where the findings and costs of a research project are shared (partially or fully) among a number of clients.

A perceptual mapping technique that represents perceptions and preferences of respondents as a spatial map. The axes of each map are the underlying dimensions that respondents use to form their preferences and perceptions.

A sample that is selected in stages, where the sampling units at each stage are sub-samples from the previous stage.

A state of high intercorrelations among independent variables. Addressed when finding a linear relationship with multiple independent variables. This problem often occurs because of the difficulty in identifying and separating the independent variable that is influencing the dependent variable.

When more than one answer is acceptable for the same question.

A type of research design where two or more samples are drawn from a population of interest, each sample being only drawn once.

Statistical procedure identifying the relationship between two or more independent variables in an effort to identify patterns within the relationship.

A question where respondents can provide more than one answer, e.g. by checking more than one item on a list.

A study that is conducted using a control group for a particular set of time (e.g. month), but is not continuously conducted, rather revisited within the span of the study's time set.

A set of events is considered mutually exclusive if only one event from given set can occur at any given time. This implies that if events (E1, E2, E3, E4) are mutually exclusive and event E2 occurs then no events of (E1, E3, E4) did occur at that time.

People conducting market research that are disguised as consumers while they shop at competitor's stores and their own stores to compare prices, displays, and customer service. Mystery shopping requires skilled participants.

The accepted abbreviation to indicate the respondent is not at home, there is no answer to the doorbell, or the telephone.

The characteristics of the country where a research project is being conducted.

The research method of observing the respondent in the least obtrusive manner. This would include watching the respondent without questioning the respondent.

Annual conferences held by ESOMAR that explore interfaces within market research and the Internet.

A technique that measures how consumers will react to brands and advertising. The brain is mapped, using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to record conscious and subconscious responses to advertising, products, or brands.

Marketing a product to a small and well-defined segment.

A designated member of a focus group who agrees to participate, even the same day, and then never arrives for the group. Facilities often over-recruit to adjust for no-shows.

A type of face-to-face group discussion that is designed to minimise the group effect (where participants moderate their opinions and go along with a majority view). Participants are asked to consider a subject and then discuss it with one other member (or a small number of members) of the group before presenting it to the whole group.

A measurement scale identifying variable categories. A scale where the numbers act only as data labels (e.g. 0=male, 1=female or a social security number). The only analysis that can be performed is to observe how frequently each of the scale members occurs in the survey.

An evaluation of an object, concept, or person without referring or comparing it to another item.

Defined by the census bureau as a person living in a household with non-relatives or by themselves.

Data that cannot be analyzed statistically, such as that from a nominal or ordinal scale.

A test that involves non-metric data (i.e. data that comes from nominal or ordinal scales).

A sample of the population chosen by the investigator rather than by using probability to choose the participants. By doing this, a true representative cross section of the population is foregone.

A sample in which the selection of units is based on factors other than random chance, e.g. convenience, prior experience, or the judgement of the researcher. Examples of non-probability samples are: convenience, judgmental, quota, and snowball.

Resulting error identifying a systematic difference in those who do and do not respond to the measurement instrument.

Any error or inaccuracies caused by factors other than sampling error. Examples of non-sampling errors are: selection bias, population mis-specification error, sampling frame error, processing error, respondent error, non-response error, instrument error, interviewer error, and surrogate error.

A symmetrical bell-shaped statistical distribution where the mean, the median, and the mode all have the same value. A bell-shaped distribution that is bisymmetric to the mean.

The attempt to conduct an interview, but the respondent was not available at the location.

Initial assumption made with a statement that is being tested with a significance test.

A database comprised of raw survey data over a wide range of topics that has not yet been analyzed.

Objectives are the goals or purpose of the research study. The reason why the study is being conducted.

Changes in the behavior or events under study that are caused by the observation process itself. Personal observation is usually more likely to have observation bias than mechanical observation.

An experiment conducted without any direct interaction between the investigators and the respondents. Also known as a quasi-experiment.

A research study where data is collected by watching consumer behavior or events taking place.

A cross-tabulation is the number of objects identified by research (which may be different to the expected value).

Determined as whether or not a housing unit is occupied or vacant (available).

A periodic study that asks questions on a number of unrelated subjects. The results may be completely or partially syndicated among clients.

A test is where research participants are exposed to some advertising in a natural setting, such as their own homes.

A type of pre-experimental design where a single group of test units is measured, exposed to an experimental treatment, and then measured again.

A qualitative interview involving only a moderator and a single respondent.

A type of qualitative research involving an unstructured personal interview with a single respondent, conducted by a highly skilled interviewer. The purpose of in-depth interviews is to understand the underlying motivations, beliefs, attitudes, and feelings of respondents on a particular subject.

A form of leading question that presents only one aspect of an issue being considered by respondents.

A test where the null hypothesis is expressed directionally, e.g. the proportion having a characteristic is more than x%. One-tailed tests are more popular than two-tailed tests because the directional result makes the findings more actionable.

A sheet of glass which, when viewed from one side, appears to be a normal mirror and when viewed from the other side, is transparent. It is used in marketing research to observe respondents without their being constantly reminded that they are being watched, although they have to be advised by the researcher that they are being observed. A one-way mirror is often used in focus group discussions.

Behavioral Targeting (also known as preference marketing, behavioral advertising, behavioral marketing, or online profiling) is defined by the FTC as “the tracking of a consumer’s online activities over time – including the searches the consumer has conducted, the Web pages visited, and the content viewed – in order to deliver advertising targeted to the individual consumer’s interests".

An instance where people know they are being studied by observers.

Questions that do not have a set of anticipated responses listed on the questionnaires. The interviewer records the respondent's verbatim response. When the survey is interviewer-administered, the respondent is encouraged to respond completely and freely with the use of probing and clarifying techniques. These questions may also be self-administered.

Identifies which characteristics will be used to observe or measure a particular concept and the value that will be attributed to the observation.

A study that collects views of the public on matters of broad interest. Check our FAQ on opinion polling.

A way of obtaining permission from participants so that they may be contacted in the future. Double-opt in refers to participants that sign up for a service online and are then sent an email in which they confirm to the service by responding to the email’s prompts. They are essentially agreeing twice to be involved with a particular company.

A computer program that is able to scan printed characters and translate those codes into electronic data.

Sampling that attempts to represent the true population by means of proportions of individuals with given characteristics. Disproportional refers to a non-representative sample and optimal refers to a well represented sample.

When respondents tend to favor objects because of their position in a list or sequence. The objects at the beginning and at the end of a list can be remembered more than those occurring in the middle. Usual practice is to rotate a list to eliminate this type of bias.

A scale that allows categories to be ranked in order from smallest to largest - even though the space between two categories is insignificant. Example responses might be excellent, good, fair, and poor.

A type of categorical, non-comparative scale with two opposing adjectives separated by a sequence of unlabelled categories, e.g. Good 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Poor.

This data is uncharacteristic of the normal distribution. It is common for this data to be removed from the results in order to prevent skewing of the means or averages. For example, 98% of the respondents purchase a particular product 4 times a week, but 2% of the respondents purchase that product 40 times a week. Researchers will remove the data of the 2% that purchased the product 40 times.

Process of relocating from a particular location in a given country to a different area within that same country.

The act of inviting more people to participate in a focus group than the study actually allows compensating for people who are planning on attending but do not.

A form of research that measures reactions to differing packing approaches.

A study or part of a study in which the respondent compares two or more test stimuli (i.e., products, concepts, labels, etc.) according to some criterion, such as preference.

A type of depth interview where there are two respondents (instead of the usual one). Friendship pair interviewing is often used for research with children and young people (where they know each other) in order to avoid respondents being intimidated and biasing their responses accordingly.

A treatment of survey data where only the completed questions are analyzed, i.e. partially complete responses are not excluded from the analysis.

A group of selected research participants who have agreed to provide pre-designated information at regular specified intervals over an extended period of time. The information may be on purchasing, media consumption, or life-style activities.

A form of systematic error that occurs when panel participants change their behaviour (that is being observed) as a result of being part of the panel.

A survey where an interviewer enters a participant’s home to take an inventory of specific products present at that time.

A traditional method used for surveying that involves respondents filling out a physical paper questionnaire that had been administered by an interviewer.

Determines the numerical summary associated with a population distribution.

A test that involves metric data (i.e. data from interval or ratio scales that can be analyzed statistically).

An amount determined by respondents regarding value or utility that is associated with product/service attributes at different levels.

A general term for a person who has agreed to be involved in a survey, focus group, or study and not just someone who is interviewed, e.g. in an observation study or a group discussion.

Some researchers may exclude respondents that have participated in research studies of the same topic or that have participated in research studies during a particular time frame. This process can remove potential bias.

Most commonly used method to determine the strength associated with a set of variables.

An analysis performed to determine the market share held by a particular company or product in a market segment determined by demographics or various classification universes.

An electronic device attached to a TV set that monitors which programs are watched by whom.

Value of the average income for an entire population. This is computed by dividing a country’s total income by its total population.

A technique used to chart a consumer’s perceptions and preferences regarding a particular product with a visual aid, like a graph or map.

A cyclical variation in a characteristic being measured. Periodicity can lead to a bias in systematic sampling when the period of the cycle coincides with the sampling interval being used.

An individual’s income that includes both dollar amounts and some non-cash related benefits.

When human beings record the behaviour of interest or events taking place.

Any information about an individual maintained by an agency, including (1) any information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual‘s identity, such as name, social security number, date and place of birth, mother‘s maiden name, or biometric records; and (2) any other information that is linked or linkable to an individual, such as medical, educational, financial, and employment information.

Primary grocery shopper.

A study used where respondents are given pictures of several types of people and are then asked to associate people with the products or services that they might use.

A type of graph that uses pictures or symbols to display the data.

Clients share costs conducting joint research studies.

Can be used to refer to two different activities. A pre-test is where a questionnaire is tested on a (statistically) small sample of respondents before a full-scale study, in order to identify any problems such as unclear wording or the questionnaire taking too long to administer. A pre-test can also be used to refer to an initial measurement (such as brand or advertising awareness) before an experimental treatment is administered and subsequent measurements are taken.

A study where a participant is given a product to use and test in a PMSA (primary metropolitan statistical area).

A type of non-probability sample where the sample is chosen because it appears plausible that sample units are representative of the population of interest, although there is no evidence to support this assumption.

Computed numerical value that serves as an estimate of the true parameter before data is collected.

The physical location where product is actually purchased. This term may be used to refer to materials used at the point of purchase to promote or call attention to a product or sale (P.O.P. Materials). It may also refer to conducting research at the point of purchase to obtain the purchasers top of mind reaction to the product just purchased.

A poll is a survey gathering opinions from the respondents. Polls are often used during political elections to gauge voter sentiment about one candidate over the other.

A questionnaire that appears on the screen of a website visitor. The term can also be used to refer to an invitation to participate in a survey. Pop-up surveys are usually triggered by a mechanism of some form, e.g. after a pre-defined period of time, or after so many visitors to a web page.

The peak of a population distribution that contains equal amounts distributed both above and below it.

A type of non-sampling error caused by incorrectly defining the population of interest for a survey and either excluding or including certain types of respondents, e.g. limiting a survey to previous consumers of a product (and not asking the views of those who have not tried it).

A pyramid-shaped chart showing the ages and sex that make up a population. This chart is generally represented with two bar graphs (males on the left and females on the right) divided into age groups on the y-axis and frequency on the x-axis.

Standard deviation for a variable in relevance to its population distribution.

This is the idea of primacy and recency. A respondent is most likely to recall the beginning of the message or list, primacy, and the last portion of the message or list, recency. The respondent's recall is weaker in regards to the items located in the middle of the list.

Using empirical data to be able to identify segments within markets.

A type of true experimental design where test units are randomly allocated to an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group is exposed to a treatment and both groups are measured afterwards.

An income level defined by the Census Bureau that determines a family’s poverty status. This level is adjusted yearly as changes occur in the national economy’s Consumer Price Index and costs of living.

A question that offers the respondent answers from which they must choose from.

The assignment of codes (coding) before the fieldwork of a survey is carried out. This occurs before the interviewing process. Computer codes are created and added to the questionnaire in order to accelerate the data processing of the respondent’s answers.

A research design that is set and does not have control over extraneous factors.

Consumers or business professionals are contacted either by telephone, mail, or in person and invited to participate in a study scheduled for a future date and time, if qualified. People who agree and are eligible are often compensated for their participation in the interview.

Consumers or business professionals who are contacted (by telephone, mail, or in person) and invited to participate in a research study scheduled for a future date and time, provided they qualify. People who agree and are eligible are often compensated for their participation in the research.

A young person aged around 8/9 to 12, who does not consider themselves to be a child, but is not yet a teenager.

A type of true experimental design where test units are randomly allocated to an experimental group and a control group. Both groups are measured before and after the experimental group is exposed to a treatment.

When the questionnaire is tried on a (statistically) small group of respondents to identify any unforeseen problems such as the wording or flow of the questions.