Advanced Methods for Conducting Online Behavioral Research

by Samuel D. Gosling (Editor), John A. Johnson (Editor)

This book goes beyond the basics to teach readers advanced methods for conducting behavioral research on the Internet. Readers are shown, step by step, how to conduct online experiments, surveys, and ability testing, use advanced graphic tools, apply automatic text analysis tools, check the validity of protocols, and much more.

The Internet is revolutionizing the way psychologists conduct behavioral research. Studies conducted online are not only less error-prone and labor-intensive but also rapidly reach large numbers of diverse participants at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. In addition to improving the efficiency and accuracy of data collection, online studies provide automatic data storage and deliver immediate personalized feedback to research participants—a major incentive that can exponentially expand participant pools. Furthermore, behavioral researchers can also track data on online behavioral phenomena, including Instant Messaging (IM), social networking, and other social media.

Readers are shown, step by step, how to conduct online experiments, surveys, and ability testing, use advanced graphic tools such as drag-and-drop objects, apply automatic text analysis tools, check the validity of protocols, automate the storage and analysis of data, record "field notes" on the behavior of online subjects and chatroom or blogging communities, and much more. Chapters also address critical issues such as data security, ethics, participant recruitment, and how to ensure the completion of tests or questionnaires. This volume also features supplemental resources, links, scripts, and instructions to further assist readers with their online research. See the supplemental materials tab for details.

This book is designed for researchers and advanced graduate students in the behavioral sciences seeking greater technical detail about emerging research methods. Readers will be well equipped to implement and integrate these exciting new methods into their own Internet-based behavioral research effectively, securely, and responsibly.

286 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Charlice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a lot of good tips for conducting research online. Much of it comes from articles published in peer-reviewed journals, which you can access through databases if you're a university-based researcher. But it's nice to have it all brought together. A lot of the technical info won't be all that relevant to people who'd rather use online survey platforms like Qualtrics rather than hassle with building their own pages. But there's plenty of useful content, even if you're not going to take up HTML and Java programming. For instance, I found the discussion on offering incentives to participants to be really enlightening. I definitely recommend checking this book out. If you collect data online, you will find something that will enhance your research practice.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid addition to a research methods library. Translating traditional research methods and some traditionally qualitative methods into the online setting. Several chapters give links to software, other service sites, or give examples of letters used. Nice ethics chapter at the end.

[Ty Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

i loved this book!