Using the Internet for psychological research: Personality testing on the World Wide Web

Authors: Buchanan T.; Smith J. L.

Source: British Journal of Psychology, Volume 90, Number 1, February 1999 , pp. 125-144(20)

Publisher: British Psychological Society

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Abstract:

The Internet is increasingly being used as a medium for psychological research. To assess the validity of such efforts, an electronic version of Gangestad & Snyder's (1985) revised self-monitoring questionnaire was placed at a site on the World Wide Web. In all, 963 responses were obtained through the Internet and these were compared with those from a group of 224 undergraduates who completed a paper-and-pencil version. Comparison of model fit indices obtained through confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the Internet-mediated version had similar psychometric properties to its conventional equivalent and compared favourably as a measure of self-monitoring. Reasons for possible superiority of Internet data are discussed. Results support the notion that Web-based personality assessment is possible, but stringent validation of test instruments is urged.

Language: English

Document Type: Research article

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