Web-based administration of a personality questionnaire: Comparison with traditional methods

Abstract

The World-Wide Web holds great promise as a mechanism for questionnaire-based research. But are data from Web-based questionnaires comparable to data from standard paper-and-pencil questionnaires? This study assessed the equivalence of the Ruminative Responses Scale in a Web-based format and in a paper-and-pencil format among introductory psychology, upper-level psychology, and non-psychology students. Internal consistency coefficients were comparable across the groups. The participants in the Web sample reported higher levels of self-focused rumination than did the other groups. Women in the Web sample reported more self-focused rumination than did women in the other groups. In the Web sample, results did not covary with access location. These results suggest that findings from Web-based questionnaire research are comparable with results obtained using standard procedures. The computerized Web interface may also facilitate self-disclosure among research participants.

Physiotherapy-led triage clinic for low back pain

“…The overall response rate for the GP surveys was low at 47%, markedly lower than that postulated by other authors, 23,24 who describe an expected response rate between 70% and 75%. However, the positive response to our program was consistent with results from previous Australian and UK studies.…”

Internet research: Self-monitoring and judgments of attractiveness

“…There are reasons to believe that this effect extends to Webmediated instruments. For example, Stones and Perry (1997) found their respondents willing to disclose highly personal information; Davis (1999) found that WWW respondents reported higher levels of self-focused negative thought than did a sample tested in a classroom setting; and Joinson (1999) found that WWW participants responded to a questionnaire in a less socially desirable fashion. Reasons advanced for this include the anonymity of participants (Hewson et aI., 1996) and the "disinhibited" nature of on-line behavior (e.g., Joinson, 1998).…”

Disgust sensitivity and meat consumption: a test of an emotivist account of moral vegetarianism

“…Research conducted via the World Wide Web has the advantage of reaching a large number of potential participants and capturing significant diversity with regard to age and background (Davis, 1999;Krantz & Dalal, 2000;Reips, 2000). Although the conditions under which web-based measures are administered are less controlled than those typical of paper-and-pencil methods, studies employing the same instruments on the web and in person indicate that properly designed web-based versions perform well (Buchanan & Smith, 1999;Davis, 1999).…”

“…Research conducted via the World Wide Web has the advantage of reaching a large number of potential participants and capturing significant diversity with regard to age and background (Davis, 1999;Krantz & Dalal, 2000;Reips, 2000). Although the conditions under which web-based measures are administered are less controlled than those typical of paper-and-pencil methods, studies employing the same instruments on the web and in person indicate that properly designed web-based versions perform well (Buchanan & Smith, 1999;Davis, 1999). Overall, well formulated web-based instruments compare favorably with in person methods (Krantz & Dalal, 2000), with the former possibly having the additional advantage that participants appear to be more forthcoming in computer-mediated surveys, possibly due to greater perceived anonymity (Davis, 1999;Locke & Gilbert, 1995).…”