Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Research Methods
William G. Zikmund
Chapter 11:
Observation Methods
Scientific Observation Is
Systematic
Sherlock Holmes
What Can Be Observed?
• Physical actions
• Verbal behavior
• Expressive behavior
• Spatial relations and locations
• Temporal patterns
• Verbal and pictorial records
What Can Be Observed
Phenomena Example
• Traffic Counters
• Web Traffic
• Scanners
• Peoplemeter
• Physiological
Measures
Monitoring Web Site Traffic
• Hits and page views
• Jupiter Media Metrics
• Nielsen//NetRatings
Physiological Reactions
• Eye tracking
• Pupilometer
• Psychogalvanometer
• Voice pitch
Eye Tracking Monitors
• Record how the subject actually reads or
views an advertisement
• Measure unconscious eye movements
Pupilometer
• This device observes and records changes
in the diameter of the subject’s pupils.
Psychogalvanometer
• Measures galvanic skin response
• Involuntary changes in the electrical
resistance of the skin
• Assumption: physiological changes
accompany emotional reactions
Voice Pitch Analysis
• Measures emotional reactions through
physiological changes in a person’s voice