Babbie’s Survey Research Methods November 18, 2009
Posted by thinkphd in : RSH9102B , trackbackI picked up a used copy of Earl Babbie’s Survey Research Methods (1997) to help me understand surveys more completely and I almost fell out of my chair when I saw page 204. At the bottom of the page, Figure 11-1 it says “Standard Punch Card for Recording Data.” My oh my I had not seen a punch card since my undergrad days at Troy State! I took a Fortran course (which was considered to be “the” language for science - I was an environmental science major) and those cards were my worst nightmare. You had to sit at a punch machine and punch out hundreds, no thousands, of those cards to run a program. Then you would stack up your cards in order - mind you - and take them to the window of the computer room - and turn them in. And then pray that your program did not fail and you would be able to set up statistical analyses for your experiments.
On page 204 and following there is a whole discussion on using punch cards and the “entrance of computers.” For all you young folks, here is a punch card and a card sorter:
Comments»
Did you have as activty 8 to determine the research designs for a question 10 that read:
Situation:
(a)
A major automobile manufacturer is considering a drug-testing program for its assembly workers. It selects an Oklahoma City plant, implements the program, and measures the impact on productivity.
(b)
The data-processing division of a credit card company conducts an experiment to determine if a flexible work time program (employees choosing their own work hours between 6 am and 7 pm) is better than the traditional working hours (9 am to 5 pm). Each employee in the San Jose office is asked if he or she would like to be in the experimental group or in the control group. All employees in the La Jolla office remain on the traditional schedule.
(c)
A cigar manufacturer puts the same brand of cigar into two differently labeled packages. Each subject in two different groups is given a cigar in a labeled package and asked about the cigar’s taste. Subjects in a third group are given unlabled cigars and asked the same question.
(d)
An advertising agency pretests a television commercial by showing an actual television program with the test commercial inserted along with other commercials to members of a focus group. Following the show there is a group discussion.
(e)
A manufacturer of a new brand of cat food tests product sampling with a trial-size package versus free sampling and three price levels simultaneously to determine the best market penetration.
I’m stuck trying to figure out what design each is……
Any help would be a GodSend!!
I sure did - I don’t think they change the activities much. Let’s discuss - check your email!
I am also going through the course right now and am stuck on what each design type is. Any help would be great.
Thanks.
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
Don’t tense up on this assignment - simply step back and read it carefully. Re-read the section in the book. I am confident you will get it.
I’m working on activity 8 on experimental research (p.289, question 10) from the Zikmund text too. Anyone want to discuss it?