Each of the following examples involves a market researcher’s need to measure some construct.

Devise an appropriate scale for each one. Defend the scale in terms of its scaling assumptions, number of response categories, use or nonuse of a “no opinion” or neutral response category, and face validity.

a. Mattel wants to know how preschool children react to a Pixar character robot that can express emotions such as amusement, recognize a child’s face, and play any of over 150 educational games such as “spell this animal” or “math pets.”

b. Chobani is testing five new flavors of yogurt and wants to know how its customers rate each one on sweetness, flavor strength, and richness.

c. A pharmaceutical company wants to find out how much a new federal law eliminating the dispensing of free sample prescription drugs by doctors will affect their intentions to prescribe generic versus brand-name drugs for their patients.