Differential Psychology, Assessment & Research Methods, Department of Psychology, University of Siegen, Adolf-Reichwein-Str. 2a, 57068, Siegen, Germany.
Research Methods, Assessment, & iScience, Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.
Behav Res Methods. 2021 Feb;53(1):22-33. doi: 10.3758/s13428-020-01404-5.
Smartphone usage is increasing around the globe-in daily life and as a research device in behavioral science. Smartphones offer the possibility to gather longitudinal data at little cost to researchers and participants. They provide the option to verify self-report data with data from sensors built into most smartphones. How accurate this sensor data is when gathered via different smartphone devices, e.g., in a typical experience sampling framework, has not been investigated systematically. With the present study, we investigated the accuracy of orientation data about the spatial position of smartphones via a newly invented measurement device, the RollPitcher. Objective status of pitch (vertical orientation) and roll (horizontal orientation) of the smartphone was compared to data gathered from the sensors via web browsers and native apps. Bayesian ANOVAs confirmed that the deviations in pitch and roll differed between smartphone models, with mean inaccuracies per device of up to 2.1° and 6.6°, respectively. The inaccuracies for measurements of roll were higher than for pitch, d = .28, p < .001. Our results confirm the presence of heterogeneities when gathering orientation data from different smartphone devices. In most cases, measurement via a web browser was identical to measurement via a native app, but this was not true for all smartphone devices. As a solution to lack of sensor accuracy, we recommend the development and implementation of a coherent research framework and also discuss the implications of the heterogeneities in orientation data for different research designs.
智能手机在全球范围内的使用日益普及——无论是在日常生活中，还是作为行为科学研究的设备。智能手机为研究人员和参与者提供了以低成本收集纵向数据的可能性。它们还为验证自我报告数据提供了选项，这些数据可以与大多数智能手机内置传感器的数据进行匹配。但是，在不同的智能手机设备上（例如，在典型的经验采样框架中）收集的这些传感器数据的准确性尚未得到系统研究。在本研究中，我们使用一种新发明的测量设备 RollPitcher 来研究智能手机空间位置的方向数据的准确性。智能手机的俯仰（垂直方向）和滚动（水平方向）的客观状态与通过网络浏览器和本地应用程序收集的传感器数据进行了比较。贝叶斯方差分析证实，智能手机型号之间的俯仰和滚动偏差不同，每个设备的平均误差分别高达 2.1°和 6.6°。滚动测量的误差高于俯仰测量，d =.28，p <.001。我们的研究结果证实，从不同的智能手机设备收集方向数据时存在异质性。在大多数情况下，通过网络浏览器进行的测量与通过本地应用程序进行的测量相同，但并非所有智能手机设备都如此。为了解决传感器准确性的问题，我们建议开发和实施一致的研究框架，并讨论方向数据异质性对不同研究设计的影响。
