Web-based experiments
Encyclopedia
A Web-based experiment or "Internet-based experiment" is an experiment
that is conducted over the Internet
. Psychology
and Linguistics
are probably the disciplines that have used these experiments most widely, although a range of other disciplines use web-based experiments. Within Psychology most web-based experiments are conducted in the areas of Cognitive and Social Psychology. This form of experimental setup has become increasingly popular because researchers can cheaply collect large amounts of data from a wide range of locations and people. A web-based experiment is a type of online research method.
and to conduct new experiments that are only feasible if done online. Further, the materials created for web experiments can be used in a traditional laboratory setting if later desired.
Interdisciplinary research using web experiments is rising. For example, a number of psychology and law researchers have used the web to collect data. Lora Levett and Margaret Bull Kovera examined whether opposing expert witnesses are effective in educating jurors about unreliable expert evidence. Rather than sensitizing jurors to flaws in the other expert's testimony, the researchers found that jurors became more skeptical of all expert testimony. In her experiment, this led to more guilty verdicts.
Levett and Kovera's research used a written transcript (law)
of a trial, which participants then read before making their decision. This type of stimulus has been criticized by some researchers as lacking ecological validity
-- that is, it does not closely approximate a real-life trial. Many recommend the use of video where possible.
Researchers at New York University
are currently conducting a psychology and law study that uses video
of a criminal trial. Participants who go to the website can watch the trial (less than one hour long) and act as jurors.
Researchers at University of Salford
are currently conducting a study to explore the mood of theme music Participants who go to the website listen and rate the moods of themes from the BBC
archive. Sound experiments over the web are particularly difficult due to lack of control over sound reproduction equipment (see criticisms below).
A wide range of psychology experiments are conducted on the web. The Web Experiment List provides a way to recruit participants and archives past experiments (over 700 and growing). A good resource for designing a web experiment is the free Wextor tool, which "dynamically creates the customized Web pages needed for the experimental procedure" and is remarkably easy to use.
for the last decade or so. But the more experiments have been conducted in economics, the more the issue of an appropriate methodology and organization has been raised.
-based ones. For instance, it may be difficult to be confident that the subjects characteristics are what they claim (e.g., age, race, gender, etc.) and that they are taking the experiment seriously. Others have argued (here and here) that brick-and-mortar experiments are just as affected by these problems, if not more so. Reips (2002) has produced a set of guidelines on standards for internet experimenting.
Experiment
An experiment is a methodical procedure carried out with the goal of verifying, falsifying, or establishing the validity of a hypothesis. Experiments vary greatly in their goal and scale, but always rely on repeatable procedure and logical analysis of the results...
that is conducted over the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
and Linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
are probably the disciplines that have used these experiments most widely, although a range of other disciplines use web-based experiments. Within Psychology most web-based experiments are conducted in the areas of Cognitive and Social Psychology. This form of experimental setup has become increasingly popular because researchers can cheaply collect large amounts of data from a wide range of locations and people. A web-based experiment is a type of online research method.
Psychology
Web experiments have been used to validate results from laboratory research and field researchField research
Field research is the collection of raw data in natural settings. It helps to reveal the habits and habitats of various organisms present in their natural surroundings...
and to conduct new experiments that are only feasible if done online. Further, the materials created for web experiments can be used in a traditional laboratory setting if later desired.
Interdisciplinary research using web experiments is rising. For example, a number of psychology and law researchers have used the web to collect data. Lora Levett and Margaret Bull Kovera examined whether opposing expert witnesses are effective in educating jurors about unreliable expert evidence. Rather than sensitizing jurors to flaws in the other expert's testimony, the researchers found that jurors became more skeptical of all expert testimony. In her experiment, this led to more guilty verdicts.
Levett and Kovera's research used a written transcript (law)
Transcript (law)
A transcript is a written record of spoken language. In court proceedings, a transcript is usually a record of all decisions of the judge, and the spoken arguments by the litigants' lawyers. A related term used in the US is docket, not a full transcript. The transcript is expected to be an exact...
of a trial, which participants then read before making their decision. This type of stimulus has been criticized by some researchers as lacking ecological validity
Ecological validity
Ecological validity is a form of validity in a research study. For a research study to possess ecological validity, the methods, materials and setting of the study must approximate the real-life situation that is under investigation. Unlike internal and external validity, ecological validity is not...
-- that is, it does not closely approximate a real-life trial. Many recommend the use of video where possible.
Researchers at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
are currently conducting a psychology and law study that uses video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
of a criminal trial. Participants who go to the website can watch the trial (less than one hour long) and act as jurors.
Researchers at University of Salford
University of Salford
The University of Salford is a campus university based in Salford, Greater Manchester, England with approximately 20,000 registered students. The main campus is about west of Manchester city centre, on the A6, opposite the former home of the physicist, James Prescott Joule and the Working Class...
are currently conducting a study to explore the mood of theme music Participants who go to the website listen and rate the moods of themes from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
archive. Sound experiments over the web are particularly difficult due to lack of control over sound reproduction equipment (see criticisms below).
A wide range of psychology experiments are conducted on the web. The Web Experiment List provides a way to recruit participants and archives past experiments (over 700 and growing). A good resource for designing a web experiment is the free Wextor tool, which "dynamically creates the customized Web pages needed for the experimental procedure" and is remarkably easy to use.
Economics
Laboratory experimentation has been a growing field in economicsEconomics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
for the last decade or so. But the more experiments have been conducted in economics, the more the issue of an appropriate methodology and organization has been raised.
Criticisms
Some researchers have expressed concern that Web-based experiments have weaker experimental controls compared to laboratoryLaboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
-based ones. For instance, it may be difficult to be confident that the subjects characteristics are what they claim (e.g., age, race, gender, etc.) and that they are taking the experiment seriously. Others have argued (here and here) that brick-and-mortar experiments are just as affected by these problems, if not more so. Reips (2002) has produced a set of guidelines on standards for internet experimenting.
External links
- Reips and Lengler discusses experiences
- WEXTOR and Webexp, software for creating web-based experiments
- Tutorial on public engagementPublic engagementPublic engagement is a term that has recently been used, particularly in the UK, to describe "the involvement of specialists listening to, developing their understanding of, and interacting with, non-specialists" .-Origins:The tradition of a decision-making body getting inputs from those with less...
through audio web experiments