Conducting Research Online
Although not much research regarding conflict communication has used data gathered online, it is very likely that this data-gathering technique will be used much more frequently in the future.
All the issues of measurement validity, internal validity, and external validity are relevant and need to be considered carefully for this type of research. In online research, we may not know the following: who is actually receiving our stimuli and responding to the questions that are posed; the media use, interruptions, and other extraneous activities that the respondent may be engaged in while completing the research; the respondent’s level of attention and involvement; and other factors that we might be able to control in laboratory settings or in structured interviews. Even telephone surveys are likely to have more control than that found in online research. On the other hand, the ability to gather a great deal of data from a large sample in a short period of time makes online research attractive. Sources that are helpful in understanding the benefits and pitfalls of online research include Birnbaum (2000), Gaiser and Schreiner (2009), Miller (2006), and Paolacci, Chandler, and Ipeirotis (2010).Sampling
Although the following issues about sampling apply to all social science research, there are some particular concerns for research on conflict.
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