Birnbaum Michael H
Department of Psychology, California State University, Fullerton, California 92834-6846, USA.
Annu Rev Psychol. 2004;55:803-32. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.55.090902.141601.
Advantages and disadvantages of Web and lab research are reviewed. Via the World Wide Web, one can efficiently recruit large, heterogeneous samples quickly, recruit specialized samples (people with rare characteristics), and standardize procedures, making studies easy to replicate. Alternative programming techniques (procedures for data collection) are compared, including client-side as opposed to server-side programming. Web studies have methodological problems; for example, higher rates of drop out and of repeated participation. Web studies must be thoroughly analyzed and tested before launching on-line. Many studies compared data obtained in Web versus lab. These two methods usually reach the same conclusions; however, there are significant differences between college students tested in the lab and people recruited and tested via the Internet. Reasons that Web researchers are enthusiastic about the potential of the new methods are discussed.
本文回顾了网络研究和实验室研究的优缺点。通过万维网，可以高效、快速地招募大量异质性样本，招募特殊样本（具有罕见特征的人群），并使程序标准化，从而使研究易于复制。文中比较了替代编程技术（数据收集程序），包括客户端编程与服务器端编程。网络研究存在方法学问题；例如，退出率和重复参与率较高。在上线之前，必须对网络研究进行全面分析和测试。许多研究比较了在网络和实验室中获得的数据。这两种方法通常得出相同的结论；然而，在实验室中测试的大学生与通过互联网招募和测试的人群之间存在显著差异。文中还讨论了网络研究人员对新方法潜力充满热情的原因。
