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How to Conduct Behavioral Research over the Internet: A Beginner's Guide to HTML and CGI/Perl [Paperback / softback]

4.00/5 (8 ratings by Goodreads)
  • Format: Paperback / softback, 266 pages, weight: 530 g
  • Series: Methodology in the Social Sciences
  • Pub. Date: 25-Mar-2004
  • Publisher: Guilford Publications
  • ISBN-10: 1572309970
  • ISBN-13: 9781572309975
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  • Paperback / softback
  • Price: 49,14 €*
  • * This title is out of print. Used copies may be available, but delivery only inside Baltic States
  • This title is out of print. Used copies may be available, but delivery only inside Baltic States.
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How to Conduct Behavioral Research over the Internet: A Beginner's Guide to HTML and CGI/PerlLarger Image
  • Format: Paperback / softback, 266 pages, weight: 530 g
  • Series: Methodology in the Social Sciences
  • Pub. Date: 25-Mar-2004
  • Publisher: Guilford Publications
  • ISBN-10: 1572309970
  • ISBN-13: 9781572309975
Other books in subject:
Permanent link: https://www.kriso.ee/db/9781572309975.html
Keywords:
Fraley (psychology, U. of Illinois) describes each step of the creation of interactive on-line behavioral research instruments. Assuming no previous familiarity with programming or web site design, he explains how to write in HTML and CGI/Perl. Examples drawn from psychology research illustrate the process. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Requiring no prior knowledge of programming or web site design, this easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide helps professionals as well as students create interactive behavioral research instruments online. With this volume, anyone can learn to write programs in HTML and CGI/Perl that will enable them to take full advantage of all the benefits of Internet-based data collection: the ability to effortlessly manipulate visual and narrative content, randomize the presentation order of stimuli, and provide customized assessments and feedback for research participants. Including extensive examples throughout, the book explains everything from how to obtain access to a web server to mastering HTML coding, processing data with CGI/Perl, and importing data files into popular statistical packages. While the examples are from psychology, the technical skills the book provides can be adapted to other fields that make use of behavioral research.

Reviews

Fraley's book is one-stop shopping for any behavioral scientist thinking of creating a website to collect data. The clear writing style, combined with numerous screenshots, tables, and worked-out examples, take the reader step-by-step from research idea to fully functioning website. The steps are so easy to follow that even novices will find it straightforward to apply the ideas to their own research questions. Unlike other books, Fraley's book has a practical focus, with detailed instructions on how to write CGI programs. Most important, it tells readers precisely how to tailor a website to meet their particular research needs. This book will be invaluable to researchers at all levels, whether they are starting from scratch or merely upgrading an existing site. Any behavioral scientist interested in using the Internet to gather data should keep this book within easy reach. - Sam Gosling, University of Texas at Austin

Fraley provides a well-organized, easy-to-follow primer for conducting scientific research over the Internet. This step-by-step guide to HTML and CGI/Perl programming makes the daunting and often confusing task of creating Web-based surveys and experiments easy and fun, even for the most timid of beginners. It will make an excellent addition to any research methods course. In short, this book is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in conducting social and behavioral research. - Katelyn McKenna, New York University

If only this guide had been available when I began conducting psychological research with CGI scripts in the 1990s! What I learned how to do over months of painful trial and error, this book can help you master within a couple of weeks. Assuming no prior programming experience, Fraley teaches you in clear, simple steps absolutely everything you need to know about conducting Internet-based research. I heartily recommend this book to professionals who wish to begin conducting research on the Internet as well as instructors who wish to teach their students these skills. It is a real gift to the field. - John A. Johnson, Pennsylvania State University

Introduction
1(9)
What You Will Be Able to Accomplish
3(1)
What You Will Need
4(1)
Some (Very) Basic Things You Need to Know about the Internet
4(2)
How to Get the Most Out of This Book
6(3)
Getting Started: A Step-by-Step Guide to Using a Web Server
9(24)
Method 1: Using a Professional Web Hosting Service
11(10)
Signing Up with Netfirms
12(1)
Transferring Files to Your Netfirms Server
13(1)
Downloading and Installing WS_FTP Pro
13(1)
Configuring WS_FTP Pro
14(1)
Using WS_FTP Pro to Transfer Files
15(3)
Creating a Data Directory
18(1)
Some Important Notes on the Organization and Operation of Your Server
19(1)
The Location of Your Web Pages
19(1)
The Address or URL for Your Web Page
19(1)
The CGI Folder
20(1)
Transferring Files
20(1)
Timing Out
20(1)
Method 2: Setting Up Your Own Server
21(12)
Downloading and Installing Microsoft's Windows Installer
22(1)
Downloading and Installing ActivePerl
23(1)
Downloading and Installing the Apache Server
24(2)
Getting Your Server Up and Running
26(1)
Creating a Data Directory
27(1)
Some Important Notes about the Organization and Operation of Your Server
28(1)
Transferring Files to the Server
28(1)
The Location of Your Web Pages
29(1)
The Address or URL for Your Web Pages
29(1)
The CGI Folder
30(1)
Turning On and Turning Off the Server
30(1)
Troubleshooting
31(2)
HTML: How to Make a Web Page from Scratch
33(27)
Downloading and Installing 1st Page
35(1)
What Is Required in All HTML Pages
36(1)
Creating Text
37(1)
Page Properties
38(3)
Formatting Text
41(3)
Bold
41(1)
Italics
41(1)
Font
41(1)
Text Size
42(1)
Text Color
42(1)
Line Spacing
42(1)
Centering Text
43(1)
Blank Space
43(1)
Inserting an Image
44(4)
Creating Hyperlinks
48(1)
Using Images as Links
49(1)
Using Tables Effectively
50(3)
Bringing It All Together
53(3)
Summary
56(4)
HTML Forms: Collecting Research Data from Participants via the Internet
60(22)
The Form Tag
61(1)
Creating Response Windows and Rating Scales
62(7)
Text Boxes
62(2)
Radio Buttons
64(2)
Pull-Down Menus
66(2)
Checkboxes
68(1)
The Submit Button
69(1)
Image Maps
69(1)
Hidden Tags
70(1)
Two Examples
71(11)
An Introduction to CGI Scripting: Using Perl to Automatically Save Response Data to a File
82(22)
Saving the Data via a Simple CGI Script
86(6)
The First Line of All Perl Scripts
87(1)
Instructing the Server to Process the Submitted Data
87(1)
Extracting Values from the Submitted Data and Assigning Them Variable Names within the CGI Script
88(1)
Writing to a Data File
89(2)
Inserting HTML Code into the CGI Script
91(1)
Testing the Code
92(3)
Example 2: Time Stamping a Submission
95(3)
Time Stamp
96(1)
Environmental Variables
97(1)
Let's See It Work
98(1)
Importing the Data into SPSS
98(1)
Summary
99(5)
Providing Customized Feedback to Research Participants
104(22)
Providing Feedback: Averaging a User's Responses
105(5)
Providing Feedback: Averaging a User's Responses and Saving the Data
110(2)
Data Analysis on the Server: Averaging the Responses of Everyone in Your Sample
112(5)
Using If--Else Conditionals to Tailor the Feedback Further
117(4)
Sample Size and Feedback
121(2)
Summary
123(3)
Randomizing the Order of Stimuli
126(20)
An Illustration
127(2)
For--Next Loops
129(4)
Breaking Down the Code
133(3)
Processing and Saving Randomized Data
136(2)
Another Example, with a Slight Twist
138(4)
A Final Example, with a Bigger Twist
142(2)
Summary
144(2)
Random Assignment to Conditions
146(9)
An Example
146(5)
Another Way to Implement Random Assignment
151(2)
Manipulating Variables within-Subjects
153(1)
Summary
153(2)
Using Multiple Web Pages in Research: Carrying Responses Forward from One Page to the Next
155(19)
An Example
156(6)
Randomizing Trials across Multiple Web Pages
162(5)
Using Image Maps to Advance from One Page to the Next
167(6)
Summary
173(1)
Using Conditional Branching Structures: An Example of ``Skip Patterns'' in Survey Research
174(7)
Summary
180(1)
Advanced Feedback: Summarizing Data with Bar Graphs and Two-Dimensional Plots
181(18)
Bar Graphs
182(6)
Two-Dimensional Coordinate Graphs
188(10)
Summary
198(1)
Tracking Participants over Multiple Sessions: PINs, Passwords, and Menus
199(16)
An Example
200(1)
Dissecting the Code
201(12)
Customizing the Code
213(1)
Summary
213(2)
Measuring Response Times
215(18)
An Example: The Recall of Emotional Memories
217(7)
A More Complex Extension: Saving the Data and Analyzing It for the Participant
224(2)
Building on the Example: Randomizing Trial Orders
226(6)
Summary
232(1)
Additional Applications of Perl: Discussion Forums and Scored Tests
233(35)
Online Discussion Forum
234(24)
The CGI Scripts and How They Work
240(17)
Summary of the Online Forum Programs
257(1)
Online Quizzes
258(10)
Wrapping It Up
268(23)
Troubleshooting
268(4)
Getting Your Site Known
272(2)
Ethics
274(1)
Apache Server Maintenance
275(1)
Security: Protecting Your Server
276(2)
Security: Protecting Your Data
278(3)
Sampling Issues
281(2)
Dropout
283(1)
Data Quality Control
284(1)
Web Design
285(4)
Screen Size
285(1)
Figure--Ground Contrast
286(1)
Don't Use JavaScript
286(1)
Test Your Page in Different Browsers
287(1)
Minimize the Need to Click and Scroll
287(1)
Avoid Jargon
287(1)
Avoid Using Plug-Ins
288(1)
Make Your Site Look Professional
288(1)
Summary
289(2)
References 291(2)
Index 293


R. Chris Fraley received his PhD in social personality psychology from the University of California, Davis. He conducts research on attachement theory and close relationships, personality development, and emotion regulation. He is currently Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois.