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Is There a Cost to Convenience? An Experimental Comparison of Data Quality in Laboratory and Online Studies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 October 2014

Scott Clifford  and
Jennifer Jerit
Scott Clifford
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA; e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
Jennifer Jerit
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA; email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Increasingly, experimental research is being conducted on the Internet in addition to the laboratory. Online experiments are more convenient for subjects and researchers, but we know little about how the choice of study location affects data quality. To investigate whether respondent behavior differs across study location, we randomly assign subjects to participate in a study in a laboratory or in an online setting. Contrary to our expectations, we find few differences between participants in terms of the level of attention and socially desirable responding. However, we find significant differences in two areas: the degree of self-reported distractions while completing the questionnaire and the tendency to consult outside sources for answers to political knowledge questions. We conclude that when the greater convenience (and higher response rates) of online experiments outweighs these disadvantages, Internet administration of randomized experiments represent an alternative to laboratory administration.

Keywords

Mode effectspolitical knowledgelab experimentonline experimentattentionsocial desirability
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Experimental Political Science , Volume 1 , Issue 2 , Winter 2014 , pp. 120 - 131
Copyright
Copyright © The Experimental Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2014 

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