We’re running an online experiment where it’s critical that participants hear the auditory feedback. Do you have any advice on how to make sure that participants are keeping their computer volume on throughout the task? We’re planning to implement a volume/sound check at some points in the task, but I was wondering what others who have done similar experiments recommend. For example, is there a way to determine if the computer was muted at some point? Any advice would be much appreciated.
It is not technically possible to control the loudness of an online experiment. You can only check whether sound is playing; you cannot check its loudness. Therefore, you need to rely on participants’ cooperation. You can introduce audio catch trials or, as @wakecarter suggested, auditory instructions.
Hi, you could also add an honesty question at the end, where the participants are reassured they will receive compensation regardless of their answer, but that it is really important for you to know if they kept the sound on the whole time. We did this recently and got a few people who confessed, so we will exclude their data.
Best,
Donna