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Psychographics: Valid by Definition and Reliable by Technique

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Book cover The 1980’s: A Decade of Marketing Challenges

Abstract

This article suggests a limitation on the use of the term "psychographics" to those studies utilizing a uniquely marketing oriented assessment technique. The appropriateness of psychometric validation techniques for this form of psychographic method is explored. The argument is proposed that the logic of the psychometric approach is inappropriate to this particular assessment problem. A more appropriate rationale is suggested for the reliability and validity issues, in light of the unusual characteristics and objectives of this emerging technique. The discussion concludes with a suggested rationale for the development of theoretical links between consumer behavior and the behavior being measured with this new approach.

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© 2015 Academy of Marketing Science

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Merenski, J.P. (2015). Psychographics: Valid by Definition and Reliable by Technique. In: Bellur, V. (eds) The 1980’s: A Decade of Marketing Challenges. Developments in Marketing Science: Proceedings of the Academy of Marketing Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16976-7_39

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