Questionnaires and web experiments are homework methods that use the internet as a way to collect data and are hence often used instead of traditional lab-based trial and error designs. They’ve been around since the times of the net (World Extensive Web, short: web) and were able to develop rapidly while the Internet changed and became more widely available (Skitka & Sargis, 2006).

Internet questionnaires and web tests are useful for collecting huge participant crowd at more affordable administrative costs than would be possible within a lab. Nevertheless, these advantages are often counterbalanced by complications that can occur when using the internet as an experiment venue. Birnbaum (2004) highlights some popular pitfalls, which includes incorrect coding and wrong data collection due to the method HTML forms work (e. g., assigning the same adjustable internet-based.org/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-questionnaires name to form elements, for example , to a questionnaire item asking about sex and one asking sex frequency).

Other problems can also occur, just like drop out and differences in inspiration between individuals. The latter could be particularly problematic because, because pointed out by Reips (1999, 2002b), it may be possible to interpret between-condition effects even though the same individuals were subjected to completely different stimuli inside the same try things out.

Fortunately, a large number of techniques and detailed alternatives are available to avoid these potential problems and in some cases to turn all of them in advantageous top features of web experimentation. The software tool OpenSesame, for example, makes it easy to create and operate complex behavioral experiments on-line without the need for specialized programming abilities.