Web-based experiments

A web-based experiment or Internet-based experiment is an experiment that is conducted over the Internet. In such experiments, the Internet is either "a medium through which to target larger and more diverse samples with reduced administrative and financial costs" or "a field of social science research in its own right."[1] Psychology and Internet studies are probably the disciplines that have used these experiments most widely, although a range of other disciplines including political science and economics also use web-based experiments. Within psychology most web-based experiments are conducted in the areas of cognitive psychology and social psychology.[2][3] This form of experimental setup has become increasingly popular because researchers can cheaply collect large amounts of data from a wider range of locations and people. A web-based experiment is a type of online research method. Web based experiments have become significantly more widespread since the COVID-19 pandemic, as researchers have been unable to conduct lab-based experiments.[4]

  1. ^ Hergueux, J.; Jacquemet, N. (2014). "Social preferences in the online laboratory: a randomized experiment" (PDF). Experimental Economics. 18 (2): 251–283. doi:10.1007/s10683-014-9400-5. S2CID 14347177.
  2. ^ Reips, U.-D. (2007). The methodology of Internet-based experiments. In A. Joinson, K. McKenna, T. Postmes, & U.-D. Reips (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Internet Psychology (pp. 373-390). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  3. ^ Reips, U.-D. & Krantz, J. H. (2010). Conducting true experiments on the Web. In S. Gosling & J. Johnson, Advanced Internet Methods in the Behavioral Sciences (pp. 193-216). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  4. ^ Lourenco, Stella F.; Tasimi, Arber (2020-08-01). "No Participant Left Behind: Conducting Science During COVID-19". Trends in Cognitive Sciences. 24 (8): 583–584. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.003. ISSN 1364-6613. PMC 7211671. PMID 32451239.