LADDERING METHOD: USES AND LIMITATIONS

ABSTRACT This article aims at showing the laddering method, considering the possibilities of its utilization in both academic and market researches. The idea is to contribute with the dissemination of methodological techniques that are new alternatives to the researches in Brazil. The literature review allowed to describe the method, its emergence and stages. Moreover, there is a discussion about hard laddering and LADDERMAP and their main limitations. The conclusion is that laddering method is of good value to human behavior studies, and above all to individual evaluation in the context of means-end chain theory. Authors emphasize that laddering demands a good interviewer and researcher, a homogeneous group to answer the questions and the use of LADDERMAP software to ease its application. Finally, some attention has to be given to the criteria of choosing hard or soft laddering.