Chapter 13 Summary

Discuss the importance of attitude measurement, and describe tow different approaches to measuring people's attitudes toward a given object.

There is a growing need among today's marketers to better understand their customer's attitudes and feelings toward the company's products, services, and delivery systems. Some researchers view "attitude" as a derived composite outcome of the interaction between a person's beliefs (i.e., cognitive thoughts) and expressed emotions (i.e., affective feelings) regarding those beliefs. Knowing these interactions can be helpful in predicting a person's behavior (i.e., conative action). Not all researchers accept this trilogy approach to measuring attitudes; some simply see attitudes as a global indicator of a person's feelings (i.e., affect = attitude) toward an object or behavior. No matter the approach, these is significant diagnostic value to both researchers and practitioners in understanding the different scale measurements used to capture people's belief structures versus emotional feelings versus behavior tendencies.

Tell how to correctly design and text Likert, semantic differential, and behavior intention scales, and explain their strengths and weaknesses.

Likert scale designs uniquely use a set of agreement/disagreement scale descriptors to capture a person's attitude toward a given object or behavior. Contrary to popular belief, a Likert scale format does not measure a person's complete attitude, only the cognitive structure. Semantic differential scale format are exceptional in capturing a person's perceptual image profile about a given object or behavior. This scale format is unique in that it uses a set of bipolar scales to measure several different yet interrelated factors (both cognitive and affective) of a given object or behavior.
Multiattribute affect scales use scale point descriptors that consist of relative magnitudes of an attitude (e.g., "very important," "somewhat important," "not too important," " not at all important," or "like very much," "like somewhat," neither like nor dislike," "dislike somewhat," "dislike very much"). With respect to behavior intention scale formats, the practitioner is interested in obtaining some idea of the likelihood that people (e.g., actual or potential consumers, customers, buyers) will demonstrate some type of predictable behavior toward purchasing an object or a service. The scale point descriptors like "definitely would," "probably would," "probably would not," and "definitely would not," are normally used in an intentions scale format. If the information objective is that of collecting raw data that can directly predict some type of marketplace behavior, then behavior intention scales should be used in the study. In turn, if the objective is understanding the reasons why certain types of marketplace behavior take place, then it is necessary to incorporate scale measurement formats that capture both the person's cognitive belief structures and feelings.

Discuss the differences between noncomparative and comparative scale designs as well as the appropriateness of rating and ranking scale measurements.

The main difference is that comparative scale measurements require the respondent to do some type of direct comparison between the attributes of the scale from the same known reference point whereas noncomparative scales rate each attribute independently of the other attributes making up the scale measurement. The data from comparative scales must be interpreted in relative terms and only activate the assignment and order scaling properties. Noncomparative scale data are treated as interval or ration, and more advanced statistical procedures can be employed in analyzing the data structures. One benefit of comparative scales is that they allow for identifying small differences between the attributes, constructs, or objects. In addition, their comparative scale designs require fewer theoretical assumptions and are easier for respondents to understand and respond to than are many of the noncomparative scale designs. However, noncomparative scales provide opportunity for greater insights into the constructs and their components.

Identify and discuss the critical aspects of consumer attitudes and other marketplace phenomena that require measurement to allow us to make better decisions.

In order for organizations to make informed decisions regarding their suppliers, customers, competitors, employees, or organizational members, they must gather detailed, accurate information. The selection of a supplier may rest partially on their history of on-time delivery, reputation for quality, and experience within the industry. Information concerning the preferences, purchase behavior, shopping patterns, demographics, and attitudes of consumers can be vital to the success or failure of an organization.

Similarly, in-depth profiles of competitors may reveal opportunities or challenges facing the company and can lead to coherent plans designed to create a significant competitive advantage. If consumers prefer a competitor's product, then it would be quite valuable to understand through the use of proper measurement techniques why such preferences exist.

Discuss the overall rules of measurement and explain the differences between single versus multiple measures of a construct as well as direct versus indirect measures.

No single set of rules exists for all measurements; however, certain standards can be applies to the measurement process. For example, the rules for correctly using a thermometer to measure the temperature of water would be quite different from the rules for the use of a telescope to measure the distance to a star. Even so, the rules must be explicit and detailed so as to allow consistent application of the instrument.