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Online recruitment and testing of infants with Mechanical Turk
Michelle Tran1, Laura Cabral1, Ronak Patel1
1Brain and Mind Institute, Western University, London, Ontario N6A 5B7, Canada.
Insights
Researchers used Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) to effectively recruit and test infants online. This method identified engaging video features like faces and songs, improving infant behavioral studies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Media Psychology
Background:
- Laboratory-based infant testing is costly and time-consuming, often leading to underpowered studies.
- Reproducibility in infant behavioral research is a significant challenge due to recruitment and logistical hurdles.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) as a viable platform for recruiting and measuring infant behavior.
- To identify specific cinematic features that capture and maintain infant attention.
Main Methods:
- A looking time paradigm was employed, recording infant (5-8 months) attention via webcams on the MTurk platform.
- Infants viewed various children's television programs to assess engagement levels.
Main Results:
- Significant variability in infant engagement across different programs was observed (N=57).
- Highly engaging programs maintained infant attention for approximately 70% of a 10-13 minute viewing period.
- Cinematic elements such as faces, singing/rhyming content, and camera zooms were identified as key attention-grabbers.
Conclusions:
- Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) provides a rapid and effective solution for recruiting and testing infant populations.
- This online approach enhances the feasibility and potential reproducibility of infant behavioral research.
Abstract:
Testing infants in the laboratory is expensive in time and money; consequently, many studies are underpowered, reducing their reproducibility. We investigated whether the online platform, Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), could be used as a resource to more easily recruit and measure the behavior of infant populations. Using a looking time paradigm, with users' webcams we recorded how long infants aged 5 to 8months attended while viewing children's television programs. We found that infants (N=57) were more reliably engaged by some movies than by others and that the most engaging movies could maintain attention for approximately 70% of a 10- to 13-min period. We then identified the cinematic features within the movies. Faces, singing-and-rhyming, and camera zooms were found to increase infant attention. Together, we established that MTurk can be used as a rapid tool for effectively recruiting and testing infants.