Example for
Theory Assignment #1
Initial Observation
- Old people are more willing to serve as respondents on
marketing research surveys than are young people
Theory 1
- It takes time to fill out surveys and/or sit and answer
questions. Only people with time to spare will do it. Old
people have more time, so they are more likely to
cooperate.
Implications
The essence of the theory is time availability. Anybody who
has time to spare should be more likely to fill out surveys.
Therefore, the theory would predict a number of additional
observations that do not have to do with age:
- People who don't work should be more likely to fill out
surveys, regardless of age
- People on vacation should be more likely to fill out
surveys, again regardless of age
Theory 2
- Answering questions for people helps make you feel needed
and useful. Everybody needs to feel this way. Old people
often don't have anybody to make them feel useful.
Serving as respondents fills this need.
Implications
The essence of the theory is the need to feel useful. People
who are not filling this need in other ways will use filling out
surveys as a way to fill this need.
- People whose children have recently moved away from home
should be more likely to serve as respondents
- People who work in jobs where the effects of their work
on other people are immediately obvious (telephone help
lines, medical services) will be less likely to serve as
respondents in surveys
Theory 3
- People get lonely in the absence of human interaction. To
the extent that serving as a respondent involves personal
interaction, lonely people will do it. Old people are
more likely to be lonely than young people, so they are
more likely to serve as respondents
Implications
The essence of the theory is that people need personal
interaction. People getting plenty of interaction in their lives
do not need to interact with strangers on interviews.
- Old people will be no more likely than young people to
respond to mail surveys, but will be more likely to
respond to personal interviews.
- Attractive people will be less likely to participate in
surveys because they are the objects of more attention
from others
Distinguishing Among the Theories
| |
Theory 1: Time |
Theory 2: Useful |
Theory 3: Lonely |
| Non-workers will cooperate more |
Yes |
Yes |
? |
| Vacationers will cooperate more |
Yes |
No |
No |
| Empty-nesters will cooperate more |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Nurses will cooperate less than factory
workers |
No |
Yes |
No |
| Old people especially likely to do
interviews |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| The goodlooking less likely to cooperate |
No |
No |
Yes |
| Copyright
©1996 Stephen P. Borgatti |
Revised: August 29, 1997 |
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