The Potential of the Internet for Music Perception Research: A Comment on Lab-Based Versus Web-Based Studies

While the discussion on the integrity of data obtained from Web-delivered experiments is mainly about issues of method and control (Mehler, 1999; McGraw et al., 2000; Auditory, 2007), this comment stresses the potential that Web-based experiments might have for studies in music perception. It is argued that, due to some important advances in technology, Web-based experiments have become a reliable source for empirical research. Next to becoming a serious alternative to a certain class of lab-based experiments, Web-based experiments can potentially reach a much larger, more varied and intrinsically motivated participant pool. Nevertheless, an important challenge to Web-based experiments is to control for attention and to make sure that participants act as instructed; Interestingly, this is not essentially different from experiments that are performed in the laboratory. Some practical solutions to this challenge are proposed.