Professor J. Scott Armstrong has been a member of the Wharton Marketing Faculty since 1968. In 1989, a University of Maryland study ranked Professor Armstrong among the top 15 marketing professors in the U.S. In 1996, he was selected as one of the first six Honorary Fellows by the International Institute of Forecasters. He is a co-developer of new methods including rule-based forecasting, causal forces for extrapolation, simulated interaction, and structured analogies. In addition to forecasting, Professor Armstrong has published papers on survey research, educational methods, applied statistics, social responsibility, strategic planning, and scientific peer review.
Chapter 1: Eclectic Research and Construct Validation
Chapter 1 of Models of Buyer Behavior
Eclectic Research and Construct Validation outlines two competing research strategies, eclectic research and intensive research, utilized by social scientists. Studies on income-sales and price-sales relationships offer real-world examples of these techniques, as well as demonstrate the superiority of eclectic research. The text argues that eclectic research provides more in-depth information at a reasonable cost than intensive research, and would thus be more helpful and cost efficient to social scientists.