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256 DATA COLLECTION METHODS

followed to see how individuals associate different products, brands, advertise-
ments, and so on, in their minds. Agencies frequently ask subjects to sketch “typ-
ical” users of various brands and narrate stories about them. The messages
conveyed through the unsophisticated drawings are said to be very powerful,
helping the development of different marketing strategies.
The idea behind motivational research is that “emotionality” (“I identify with
it” feeling) rather than “rationality” (“it is good for me” thought), which is what
keeps a product or practice alive, is captured. Emotions are powerful motivators
of actions, and knowledge of what motivates individuals to act is very useful. The
failure of attempts to trade in the “New Coke” for “Classic Coke” is an oft-cited
example of the emotional aspect. Emotionality is clearly at the nonrational, sub-
conscious level, lending itself to capture by projective techniques alone.

MULTIMETHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

Because almost all data collection methods have some biases associated with
them, collecting data through multimethods and from multiple sources lends
rigor to research. For instance, if the responses collected through interviews,
questionnaires, and observation are strongly correlated with one another, then
we will have more confidence about the goodness of the collected data. If the
same question fetches discrepant answers in the questionnaire and during the
interview, then an air of uncertainty emerges and we would be inclined to dis-
card both data as being biased.
Likewise, if data obtained from several sources bear a great degree of similar-
ity, we would have stronger conviction in the goodness of the data. For exam-
ple, if an employee rates his performance as 4 on a 5-point scale, and his
supervisor gives him a similar rating, we may be inclined to consider him a bet-
ter than average worker. On the contrary, if he gives himself a 5 on the 5-point
scale and his supervisor gives him a rating of 2, then we will not know to what
extent there is a bias and from which source. Therefore, high correlations among
data obtained on the same variable from different sources and through different
data collection methods lend more credibility to the research instrument and to
the data obtained through these instruments. Good research entails collection of
data from multiple sources and through multiple data collection methods. Such
research, though, would be more costly and time consuming.

Review of the Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Data
Collection Methods and When to Use Each

Having discussed the various data collection methods, we will now briefly
recount the advantages and disadvantages of the three most commonly used data
collection methods—interviews, questionnaires, and observation—and examine
when each method can be most profitably used.
Face-to-face interviews provide rich data, offer the opportunity to establish
rapport with the interviewees, and help to explore and understand complex
issues. Many ideas ordinarily difficult to articulate can also be brought to the sur-