Some Thoughts on Gathering Response Processes Validity Evidence in the Context of Online Measurement and the Digital Revolution

Abstract

The past few decades have seen a dramatic increase in Internet use and an expansion in the types of devices that can be used to go online, opening up new opportunities for collecting information over the Internet. The technology to deploy surveys and measures online is becoming more sophisticated and, at the same time, easier and less expensive to use, making online data collection an attractive option for research. However, online data collection may be affected by numerous factors related to the design of surveys, the technology used to take them, and respondents' own technology-related skills and attitudes. Because of the possible impact of survey mode, it is important to validate inferences made from measures administered online, rather than assuming that evidence gathered with paper-and-pencil measures applies equally well to online ones. Response processes are a source of validity evidence that has been understudied in most contexts, including online data collection. Response processes evidence could be invaluable in understanding the ways in which the online environment and characteristics of online surveys may be affecting the data collected from measures and, therefore, the inferences that can be made from these measures. At the same time, the Internet provides considerable opportunities to conduct response processes validation research in new and creative ways. This chapter provides some suggestions for harnessing existing and emerging digital technologies for this purpose, in the hopes of encouraging and inspiring response processes validation research in the online context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)