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 comparable results to lab-based testing, with some considerations for motivation and external help.
Supporting Evidence
- Online testing showed similar performance to lab testing across multiple tasks.
- Participants in the online group had higher scores in spelling and forward digit span tasks.
- Motivation and the ability to look up answers were identified as important factors affecting performance.
Takeaway
This study shows that testing people online can give similar results to testing them in a lab, but we need to make sure they stay focused and don't look up answers.
Methodology
Participants completed a battery of 15 tasks assessing linguistic and domain-general skills either online or in a lab setting.
Potential Biases
Potential for participants to seek external help during online testing and variations in motivation levels.
Limitations
The study primarily focused on a homogenous sample of young Dutch speakers, which may limit generalizability.
Participant Demographics
Young Dutch speakers, primarily students, aged 18-30, with a higher percentage of females in the online group.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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