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How Do Older Adults Recruited Using MTurk Differ From Those in a National Probability Sample?
Aaron M Ogletree1, Benjamin Katz2
17341 Health Research and Evaluation, American Institutes for Research, Washington, DC, USA.
International Journal of Aging & Human Development
|July 21, 2020
Summary
Researchers should be cautious when using older adults from Amazon
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Cognitive Science
- Online Participant Recruitment Methods
Background:
- Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is increasingly used for participant recruitment in gerontology research.
- Limited research compares older adults recruited via MTurk to those from probability-based samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences between older adults recruited via MTurk and a national probability sample (Health and Retirement Study - HRS).
- To examine the impact of recruitment time and remuneration on cognitive functioning measures in older adults.
Main Methods:
- Comparison of an MTurk-recruited sample of older adults with participants from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS).
- Utilized a Latin-square design to analyze recruitment time, remuneration, and cognitive performance.
- Assessed cognitive functioning through measures of verbal fluency and analogical reasoning.
Main Results:
- Significant differences were observed between MTurk and HRS samples in verbal fluency and analogical reasoning.
- Remuneration amount influenced recruitment completion time, with lower payments significantly extending the process.
- The lowest remuneration level required 138-485 additional hours for recruitment completion.
Conclusions:
- MTurk samples of older adults may not be representative of the general older population.
- Researchers should exercise caution when generalizing findings from MTurk-recruited older adults.
- Consideration of recruitment methods and remuneration is crucial for gerontological research validity.
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