Questionnaires and web experiments are investigate methods involving the internet as a way to collect data and are hence often used instead of traditional lab-based experimental designs. They have been around since the times of questionnaires and web experiments the net (World Extensive Web, short: web) and were able to develop rapidly when the Internet developed and became extensively available (Skitka & Sargis, 2006).
Internet questionnaires and web experiments are useful for the purpose of collecting huge participant crowds of people at lower administrative costs than would be possible within a lab. However, these positive aspects are often counterbalanced by problems that can happen when using the net as a great experiment area. Birnbaum (2004) highlights some normal pitfalls, including incorrect code and incorrect data collection due to the way HTML varieties work (e. g., assigning the same variable identity to form components, for example , to a questionnaire item asking regarding sex and one seeking sex frequency).
Other concerns can also occur, including drop out and differences in motivation between individuals. The latter can be particularly problematic because, simply because pointed out by Reips (1999, 2002b), it may be possible to interpret between-condition effects although the same participants were subjected to numerous stimuli in the same try things out.
Fortunately, many techniques and detailed solutions are available to stop these potential problems and perhaps to turn them in to advantageous popular features of web testing. The software program OpenSesame, for instance, makes it easy to set up and work complex behavioral experiments over the internet without the need for special programming expertise.
