Behavioral Science—The Nonscience of Nonchoice

Never has there been a time when survey researchers have been more concerned about the bias of their work. Those who apply the technology of such an area of behavioral science are particularly concerned about respondents trying to please researchers when reacting to a survey. Marketing researchers and students of consumer behavior are particularly worried about meaningless survey data, and many attempts are being made to develop measures that are less apt to lead the respondent to play a certain role for the investigator. Surveys may be very useful tools for the prediction of human behavior if real choices exist, and the questions are validated. In many cases it may be important to consider alternatives to the survey method.