A comparison of three laddering techniques applied to an example of a complex food choice

Abstract Laddering techniques (means-end-chains) have become popular as a means of understanding consumers' motivations for (food) product choice. Comparisons of the output of interview (soft) laddering (SL, n =49) were made with two forms of questionnaire-based (hard) laddering, pencil-and-paper (PL, n =46) and computerised presentations (CL, n =45). Within the context of mothers choosing breakfast for their children, the aim was to assess whether the form of administration would have a differential effect upon results. The laddering methods produced different results. Hard laddering produced more ladders (CL > PL > SL; p  CL > PL; p

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