On Method in Consumer Research: A Critical Relativist Perspective

Abstract

This article explicates a critical relativist perspective on research in consumer and buyer behavior. It is argued that a relativistic construal of this area is far superior to a positivistic approach because: (1) it provides a more accurate description of how knowledge is actually generated in the field, (2) it offers a more rigorous and tough-minded approach to the evaluation of knowledge claims in the discipline, and (3) it suggests a framework for coming to grips with the various problems that arise in day-to-day research. In so doing, the article develops a new model of the research generation process in social science and employs a well-known “case study” in consumer research to illustrate many of its key points.