Crowdsourcing participants for psychological research in Australia: A test of Microworkers

Abstract

Objective Australian researchers interested in studying psychological phenomena using Australian samples have a limited range of reliable sampling options, often limited to undergraduate participant pools and convenience samples subject to well‐known limitations. To expand the range of sampling options available, we attempted to validate the crowdsourcing platform, Microworkers, as a viable tool for collecting data from Australian participants. Method Across two studies, 122 Australian participants were recruited via Microworkers to complete a demographic survey (Studies 1 and 2), personality questionnaire (Study 2), and a standard decision‐making task designed to elicit a framing effect (Study 2). Results Providing a first indication of the viability of Microworkers as a recruitment platform for Australian participants by Australian researchers, we were successful in acquiring our desired sample size. Moreover, the recruited Microworkers samples were demographically diverse (in a similar fashion to Internet samples in general), and produced valid psychological data. Conclusion Overall, these results provide promising preliminary evidence for Microworkers as a viable platform for the recruitment of Australian participants for psychological research, and for Australian researchers interested in crowdsourced participants more generally.