The parameterization and the analysis of small groups by means of the Response Dependence of Subjects Model (RDSM)

Cristante and Robusto (1999) introduced a model devised for the parameterization of small groups in the social sciences (RDSM – response dependence of subjects model). The model belongs to the family of Rasch models (Andrich, 1982, 1985). In this contribution a validation study is conducted in order to verify the empirical applicability of the model. The RDSM is applied to a set of data in market research; the participants are 200 mobile telephone consumers. The main results are as follows: (a) Twenty four small subgroups of participants are obtained, where each one is well defined by means of a unit parameter and a location parameter on a latent trait. In this way the RDSM allows an appropriate grouping of the sample considered. (b) Low familiarity of consumers with mobile telephone technology correlates with a stereotyped representation of the attributes of telephone devices. (c) From a quantitative point of view, the results confirm the applicability of the RDSM within the data considered.