is the subsequent re-contacting of respondents in a survey to check that the proper procedures have been followed, eg the respondent was qualified to be included in the survey, the responses recorded were accurate or even that the interview actually took place. Validation can be performed by the data collection company and/or the client, in person, by telephone or by mail.

is the extent to which a research process is accurate and reflects actual market conditions (ie it is free from systematic error).

is a psychographic segmentation system offered by the Stanford Research Institute.

Is the extent to which data points in a statistical distribution or data set diverge—vary—from the average value, as well as the extent to which these data points differ from each other.

is a property that takes on different values at different times.

is the transformation of data to create new variables (or modify existing variables) so that they are more consistent with the objectives of the study.

is a measure of variability (or dispersion) of a distribution and it is equal to the mean of the squared deviations of all values from the mean.

is a graphical method of representing operations on sets that is often used to illustrate probabilities.

is a technique used to understand respondents thought processes while they are performing a task or making a decision by asking them to think aloud.

are those that require respondents to indicate their position by selecting among orally identified categories.

is a reproduction of all of a respondent’s opinion of an object or concept word-for-word, without any omissions, abbreviations or interpretations by the interviewer.

A reproduction of all of a respondent’s opinions of an object or concept word-for-word, without any omissions, abbreviations, or interpretations by the interviewer.

This method ensures data entry accuracy by entering the data multiple times.

This is the process of dual data entry and comparing both data sets for anomalies.

The ability to conduct real time focus groups with participants situated at different physical locations using video technology.

is a venue for conducting group discussions or individual interviews that has a two-way mirror. The purpose of the mirror is to allow clients and other invited parties (advertising or design agencies) to observe without influencing the discussion taking place.

is a dedicated room in which researchers can sit and observe focus groups and depth interviews through a one way mirror.

Viral marketing refers to a technique in marketing a product or a service where users help in spreading the advertiser's message to other websites or the users create a scenario which can lead to multi-fold growth.

is a general term to cover any form of group discussion that is convened using electronic means and participants do not see each other. Examples of virtual groups are: online group discussions, moderated e-mail groups (MEGs) and chat rooms.

Computer generated artificial environment. Virtual market research is the latest advanced survey technology providing the respondent with sensory stimuli about the product or service being researched.

A technique that measures variations in the frequency of the human voice. Such frequency modulations are typically associated with various human emotions.

The average volume purchased per buyer over the period of an analysis.