Measuring 3-D understanding on the Web and in the laboratory.
We describe the ongoing development of a psychometric test to measure understanding of three-dimensional (3-D) concepts represented in drawings. The test consists of five subtests requiring participants to complete timed choice tasks previously used in experimental investigations of 3-D understanding, and a new subtest based on the idea of true length. We examined performance in terms of accuracy and response time usingboth laboratory- and Web-based methods of delivery. Reliability coefficients were high for both methods (.90 and .96, respectively, for accuracy, and .87 and .95, respectively, for response time measures), but Web-based participants produced consistently lower overall scores. Issues regarding the deployment of, and recruitment for, complex Web-based experimental tasks, and factors affecting comparisons between Web and laboratory results, such as the presence of an experimenter, and interface and sample differences, are discussed.
Sutton
Ken
K
School of Psychology, Faculty of Science and Information Technology, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia. ken.sutton@newcastle.edu.au
Heathcote
Andrew
A
Bore
Miles
M
D000293:Adolescent; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D020407:Internet; D007753:Laboratories; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012399:Rotation