Comparison of data from six psychotherapy research measures obtained through MTurk versus traditional clinics

Abstract

AbstractObjectiveAlthough researchers have begun to use MTurk for psychotherapy‐related studies, little is known about the quality of psychotherapy research data that can be obtained through this platform. The fourfold purpose of this study was to (1) compare data collection times between clients recruited through MTurk and those recruited through traditional clinic sources, (2) test for differences in demographic and treatment use variables between these two samples, (3) examine whether psychotherapy research data gathered through these different strategies shows comparable properties and (4) test whether recruitment decisions within MTurk can impact the quality of the data obtained.MethodClients (828 recruited through MTurk and 62 recruited through outpatient clinics) completed an online survey that included treatment history questions and six measures that are frequently used in psychotherapy research.ResultsHighly similar demographics, treatment history and properties for the measures (i.e., means, standard deviations, internal consistency, factor structure and convergent validity) were found between the samples. For the most part, the quality of the MTurk data did not differ depending on the compensation amount or participant restrictions.ConclusionThese results suggest that MTurk can be a quick, reliable and valid resource for participant recruitment when conducting some types of psychotherapy research.