United States advertising agencies are increasingly using interviews a

Question

United States advertising agencies are increasingly using interviews at shopping malls, cal1ed "mall intercepts," to test for advertising effectiveness, product concept viability, and consumer buying habits. Critics of mall intercepts maintain that the shopping habits of mall shoppers are not representative of those of the larger population.

Which of the following, if true, would provide evidence that most supports the critics' claim about mall intercepts?

Which of the following, if true, would provide evidence that most supports the critics' claim about mall intercepts?

(A) Some mall shoppers patronize more than one store in any given shopping trip.
(B) Mall shoppers, on average, spend 50 percent more time shopping than shoppers at other locations do.
(C) In the course of any year, 95 percent of all households in the United States have at least one member who does some shopping at a mall.
(D) Mall shoppers who use public transportation to reach the mall tend to have lower incomes than mall shoppers who drive to the mall.
(E) Indoor malls often attract the customary numbers of shoppers even during inclement weather when outdoor malls are likely to lose business.

anshuliitd · Answer

Please explain why A is not correct ?

adstudy · Answer

Question  prompt says 
-> US advertising agencies doing interviews at malls. (calling it mall intercepts)
-> Interviews to test 3 things - advertising effectiveness, product concept viability, and consumer buying habits.
-> Critics of mall intercepts say mall shoppers are not representatives of larger population.

We need to strengthen the conclusion that mall shoppers are not representatives of larger population by providing some sort of evidence.

This option is only talking about the mall shoppers. So there are very bleak chances of this option being correct. Moreover mall shoppers patronize more than one store. This is not proof that larger population is also not patronizing more than one shops. In this case, it is weakening the conclusion.

Here we are comparing mall shoppers with shoppers outside the mall. The option says, 50 percent more time shopping than others. Meaning that they will definitely have a different perspective from outside the mall shoppers in terms of the three things (advertising effectiveness, product concept viability, and consumer buying habits.) that mall intercepts are trying to find. Hence it is possibly the right answer. Will keep it as tentatively marked.

So 95% of the families are visiting the mall to do shopping, even if one member is going. But about their regularity in these malls. The option does not say anything about that. If out of these 95 % families have 20 % as regular mall shoppers, 40 % as occasional mall shoppers and remaining as once in a blue moon mall shoppers. Then the mall intercepts will not have correct data just from interviewing any one group, which in this case could most probably be the regular mall shoppers. Hence incorrect option.

Okay income is not of any relevance in the above prompt. Mall intercepts are only,as per prompt, evaluating on the basis of shopping trends whether this shopping is done by high income or low income group. So not considering this option as it is trying to deviate us from the original prompt. Hence incorrect.

Here mall intercepts are trying to find generalized trends. So no specific cases to be considered. So this option might not be able to help us in any way. Hence incorrect.

Hence   Option B   seems to be the best fit.

HarishKumar · Answer

This argument is founded on a sampling assumption.

A sampling assumption is one in which the characteristics of a sample is being attributed to the population it is said to represent. When in reality, the sample does not represent the population.

In this case:

Sample = Mall Shoppers
Population = Shoppers at other locations

The critics point out that the characteristics of a sample is being attributed to the entire population:

Sample = Habits of Mall Shoppers
Population = Habits of Shoppers at all other locations.

So we need to find a choice which strengthens the critics view that the shopping habits of Mall shoppers (sample)  is different  from the shopping habits of the entire population of shoppers. Only choice B does this:

Mall shoppers, on average, spend 50 percent more time shopping than shoppers at other locations do.

Choice B is the answer.

We can eliminate all choices which do not show the sample to be different from the population

In this particular case:

(A) Some mall shoppers patronize more than one store in any given shopping trip.

They are still Mall shoppers irrespective of if they patronize one or more stores. So we reject this

(B) Mall shoppers, on average, spend 50 percent more time shopping than shoppers at other locations do.

It shows that the habits of Mall shoppers are different from the habits of shoppers at other locations.  So we retain this.

(C) In the course of any year, 95 percent of all households in the United States have at least one member who does some shopping at a mall.

It does not establish that the shopping habits of Mall Shoppers are different from the habits of shoppers at other locations. So we reject this.

(D) Mall shoppers who use public transportation to reach the mall tend to have lower incomes than mall shoppers who drive to the mall.

At the end of the day, both are Mall Shoppers. So I am not interested in this choice.

(E) Indoor malls often attract the customary numbers of shoppers even during inclement weather when outdoor malls are likely to lose business.

Indoor and outdoor Malls are still Malls. So I reject this choice.

So the correct answer is Choice B.

VerbalBot · Answer

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United States advertising agencies are increasingly using interviews a

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