Rojas-Rivas Edgar, Thomé-Ortiz Humberto, Espinoza-Ortega Angélica
Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias y Rurales (ICAR), Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México, Toluca 50000, Mexico.
Foods. 2022 Dec 7;11(24):3959. doi: 10.3390/foods11243959.
Projective methods are qualitative tools used to study food consumer behavior. In recent years, there has been an increase in studies that use these tools to analyze consumer behavior, particularly with the word association (WA) technique. However, one of the challenges in using these methods is the stability and validity of the data. This research aimed to obtain preliminary information on the stability and validity of the associations generated by consumers with the WA technique, using the structural approach of social representations. For this, two studies were carried out; for the first study, a face-to-face survey was carried out in which 89 consumers participated, who wrote the first words that came to mind with the stimulus “Aculco” on a ballot paper. For the second study, 122 consumers completed the same task as in the first study; however, the participants were recruited from an online survey. A random sample (n = 50) of both studies was selected to explore the stability and validity of the results. In the three study samples, the words were grouped into categories and analyzed through the structural approach of social representations. The frequency of mention of the identified categories was compared with the chi-square test and the average position (AP) and the Cognitive Salience Index (CSI) were calculated. Prototype maps were built to study the structure of the categories according to the central core and peripheral areas. Cluster analysis was performed to corroborate the structure of the representations. Finally, multiple factor analysis (MFA) was performed to determine the similarity of the results obtained from the three samples using the RV coefficient. No statistical differences (p > 0.05) were identified in most of the representations (n = 11) generated from the WA task. Furthermore, the representation “Cheese and dairy products” was positioned in the central core of the three maps. The APs and the CSIs of each representation were similar in the three study samples. The RV coefficient (≥0.80) indicated similarity in the representations obtained. Results of this research can be useful for future studies that attempt to compare the stability and validity of the information based on qualitative and more flexible methodologies. Some methodological implications related to the validity and stability of projective methods are discussed.
投射法是用于研究食品消费者行为的定性工具。近年来，使用这些工具来分析消费者行为的研究有所增加，尤其是使用词语联想（WA）技术。然而，使用这些方法的挑战之一是数据的稳定性和有效性。本研究旨在利用社会表征的结构方法，获取关于消费者通过WA技术产生的联想的稳定性和有效性的初步信息。为此，进行了两项研究；在第一项研究中，开展了一项面对面调查，89名消费者参与其中，他们在选票上写下听到“Aculco”这个刺激词后首先想到的词语。在第二项研究中，122名消费者完成了与第一项研究相同的任务；然而，参与者是从在线调查中招募的。从两项研究中选取了一个随机样本（n = 50）来探究结果的稳定性和有效性。在三个研究样本中，将词语分类并通过社会表征的结构方法进行分析。将所确定类别的提及频率与卡方检验进行比较，并计算平均位置（AP）和认知显著性指数（CSI）。构建原型图以根据核心区域和周边区域研究类别的结构。进行聚类分析以证实表征的结构。最后，使用RV系数进行多因素分析（MFA），以确定从三个样本获得的结果的相似性。在WA任务产生的大多数表征（n = 11）中未发现统计学差异（p > 0.05）。此外，“奶酪和乳制品”这一表征位于三张图的核心区域。在三个研究样本中，每个表征的AP和CSI相似。RV系数（≥0.80）表明所获得的表征具有相似性。本研究结果对于未来试图基于定性且更灵活的方法比较信息稳定性和有效性的研究可能有用。讨论了与投射法的有效性和稳定性相关的一些方法学意义。
