Workshops during the General Online Research 05
1.) title of the workshop:
Psychological Measurement on the Internet.
Dr. Tom Buchanan
(Westminster University)
2.) duration of the workshop
Two sessions of 90 minutes each.
3.) workshop fees:
40,- EUR (62,- CHF)/ 20,- EUR (31,- CHF)
4.) target groups:
The workshop is primarily intended for researchers (academics, students) who wish to measure psychological constructs in the context of online research projects. However, most of the material and techniques covered will also be relevant for people working in applied fields (e.g. clinical or occupational assessment) and the commercial sector.
5.) Is the workshop prepared for an exclusively
German language or an international audience?
International workshop, held exclusively in English.
6.) workshop language
English only.
7.) Description of the content of the workshop:
The workshop will involve a mixture of presentation, practical work, and opportunities for discussion. Much of the material covered will relate to assessment of personality. However, assessment of other constructs (e.g. ability, cognitive processes, affect) through self-report and objective measures will also be addressed. For each type of assessment, we will look at examples actually in use on the Internet, discuss potential problems, and consider methods for implementing such measurement instruments in the context of recent empirical work. Broader issues (e.g. ethical concerns) will also be discussed.
Participants are encouraged to raise issues related to any assessment projects they are involved in or are planning, and to share information about relevant experiences and techniques they have used.
8.) goals of the workshop:
From this workshop participants can expect:
- increased awareness of techniques available for online psychological measurement
- an awareness of important issues affecting online measurement, informed by recent empirical data
- the opportunity to discuss specific measurement situations they may be interested in.
9.) necessary previous knowledge:
- How to use a Web browser.
- A general awareness of basic psychometric principles (reliability, validity etc).
- A general awareness of psychological characteristics (personality, affect, cognitive performance) one might seek to measure in online research or applied practise.
10.) literature that has to be read for participation:
No specific reading is required. However a basic general knowledge of online research, will be assumed. The following publications are recommended for anybody who wishes to familiarise themselves with the area:
- Birnbaum, M.H. (2000). Psychological Experiments on the Internet. San Diego: Academic Press.
- Reips, U.-D., & Bosnjak, M. (Eds.)(2001). Dimensions of Internet Science.
- Lengerich: Pabst. (http://www.psychologie.unizh.ch/sowi/reips/dis/).
11.) additional literature
Recommendations: Much of the material to be covered in the workshop reflects work described in the following reports (copies can be requested via Tom Buchanan's web page - see below). Numerous relevant publications by other authors are cited in these.
- Buchanan, T. & Smith, J. L. (1999). Using the Internet for psychological research: Personality testing on the World-Wide Web. British Journal of Psychology, 90, 125-144. Ê
- Buchanan, T. (2003). Internet based questionnaire assessment: Appropriate use in clinical contexts. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 32, 100-109.
- Buchanan, T., Joinson, A. N., & Ali, T. (2002, October). Development of a behavioural measure of self-disclosure for use in online research. Paper presented at German Online Research `02, Hohenheim, Germany.
- Buchanan, T., & Joinson, A. N. (2004, March). Are online-offline differences in personality test scores due to increased self-disclosure? Paper presented at German Online Research `04, Duisburg, Germany, 30th March 2004.
- Buchanan, T., Johnson, J. A., & Goldberg, L. (in press). Implementing a Five-FactorÊ personality inventory for use on the Internet. European Journal of Psychological Assessment.
- Buchanan, T.,Ê Ali, T., Heffernan, T. M., Ling, J., Parrott, A. C., Rodgers, J., & Scholey, A. B.(in press). Non-equivalence of online and paper-and-pencil psychological tests: The case of the Prospective Memory Questionnaire. Behavior Research Methods, Instrument, & Computers.
- Rodgers, J., Buchanan, T., Scholey, A.B., Heffernan, T.M., Ling, J., Parrott, A.C. (2003). Patterns of drug use and the influence of gender on self reports of memory ability in ecstasy users: A web based study. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 17, 389-396.
Tools to be used: Web browsers.
12.) information about the workshop organizer:
Tom Buchanan is based at the University of Westminster in the UK, and has been involved in Internet-mediated psychological research since the mid 1990s. The material covered in the workshop will draw on his own experiences and the published work of others. For more information on relevant work see:http://users.wmin.ac.uk/~buchant/