Business Research Discussion Week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business Research Discussion Week 6 - Essay Example The technique would enable gathering of pertinent information which were not captured in the eye-tracking software, such as the suggestions on improvement and assessment of usability from the users’ perspectives. As emphasized, â€Å"while the observation method may be used to describe a wide variety of behavior, cognitive phenomena such as attitudes, motivations, and preferences cannot be observed. As a result, observation research cannot provide an explanation of why a behavior occurred or what actions were intended† (Zikmund, Babin, Carr, & Griffin, 2012, p. 236). Therefore, the brief survey or questionnaire would collect information on attitudes or preferences which could not have been made possible with pure eye-technique (or observation) method. What advantages exist of one research design over the other with regard to measuring the physiological reactions of research participants? What might be some ethical implications of observational methods? Under what circumstances might it be considered profiling? The advantage of the eye-tracking software is in measuring the physiological reactions through the natural tendencies of responding to visual appeal. The benefit of soliciting information through a brief survey is that the incorporation of cognitive skills that rationalize focusing on information deemed to be appealing or catchy. The observation methods should abide by standards of ethics in terms of soliciting the approval of participants in the research. Profiling is defined as â€Å"the recording and analysis of a person’s psychological and behavioral characteristics, so as to assess or predict their capabilities in a certain sphere or to assist in identifying a particular subgroup of people† (Oxford University Press, 2014, p. 1). As such, the eye-tracking software falls within the profiling aspect since the information gathered enables Mazda to determine particular aspects (or profile) of users who exhibit