Research Tips

Who Knows the Answers to Your Questions?

Sometimes a single person decides to buy a particular product, pays for it, and uses it him or herself. In those situations, any questions researchers have can be directed to that individual. Unfortunately, many other situations are more complicated. For example, often a doctor decides what medicine a patient should take, an insurance company pays for the medicine, and the patient consumes the medicine. This is just one of many examples of products and services used within households, companies, educational institutions, etc. for which the decision maker, purchaser, and / or consumer are different people. In these situations, it’s important for researchers to carefully consider who is in the best position to answer the questions under investigation. Asking questions of the wrong person may lead to misleading results.