PP Remote Testing Wiki | Main / FAQ

Frequently asked questions:

What is "remote testing?" How does it differ from conventional (in-lab) testing?

In the most general sense, remote testing is any data collection that take place outside of a laboratory setting. This could include field research or questionnaires filled out in the community setting, but our focus here is on experiments that involve presentation and response to auditory stimuli. This is not to be confused with research on parapsychology, which is sometimes described as remote perception testing. There are many advantages to remote testing, notably access to subjects who cannot come to the lab. Testing subjects remotely can save time that would otherwise be spent travelling to the lab and extend the population available for study. Remote testing also typically involves some loss of control — stimulus control, control over the test environment, reduced information above individual subjects, and reduced opportunities to monitor or reinstruct subjects.

In-lab testing administers response collection ("tasks") in controlled environments that minimize distractions, provide the necessary resources (hardware/software), and support the storage and analysis of response data. Remote testing, in contrast, has less control over the task environment, may utilize hardware/software resources that vary significantly across participants, and depend on new procedures for storing and transmitting response data from the participant to the experimenter.

What is it good for?

There are many advantages to remote testing, notably access to subjects who cannot come to the lab. Testing subjects remotely can save time that would otherwise be spent travelling to the lab and extend the population available for study.

What are some platforms for remote testing?

The Wiki section on Platforms includes extensive information about different types of available platforms, along with specific capabilities of individually identified platforms.

What approach should I use for remote testing?

There are really three big questions you need to answer when deciding how to set up an auditory experiment for remote data collection: what hardware will I use, what software will I use, and who are the subjects I want to test. In all three cases, the alternatives range from convenient and less controlled to more time consuming and well specified.