Normative research in outdoor recreation is conventionally conducted using quantitative methods that generate numerical estimates of respondent norms or evaluative standards of quality for park and outdoor recreation conditions. In this study, verbal analysis, a qualitative research approach, was used in conjunction with conventional normative research methods to explore respondents' thinking as they considered and answered normative questions. Special emphasis was placed on the extent to which re- spondents consciously considered tradeofs inherent in outdoor recreation management, The research was applied to visitors to Acadia National Park, and study findings suggest that 1) many respondents were consciously aware of and actively considered various manifestations of the tradeoffs inherent in park and outdoor recreation management, 2) normative research should be designed to sensitize respondents to the inherent trade. offs in outdoor recreation, and 3) qualitative and quantitative research methods can be complementary.