Comparing Lab-Based and Online Testing for Language Skills
Author Information
Author(s): Kyla McConnell, Florian Hintz, Antje Meyer
Primary Institution: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics
Hypothesis
Is online testing reliable enough for individual differences research in psycholinguistics?
Conclusion
Online testing for individual differences in language skills shows promising results, comparable to lab-based testing.
Supporting Evidence
- Online testing showed comparable performance to lab testing across multiple tasks.
- Participants in the lab performed better on some tasks, indicating potential motivation issues online.
- Measurement invariance was established for most tasks, suggesting similar psychometric properties across settings.
Takeaway
This study found that testing people online can give similar results to testing them in a lab, which is good news for researchers.
Methodology
Participants completed a battery of 15 tasks assessing linguistic and domain-general skills either online or in a lab.
Potential Biases
Participants may have sought external help during online testing, affecting results.
Limitations
The study focused on a homogenous sample of young Dutch speakers, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Young Dutch speakers, primarily students, aged 18-30.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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