scholarly journals Anomalous responses on Amazon Mechanical Turk: An Indian perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 205316802110169
Author(s):  
William O’Brochta ◽  
Sunita Parikh
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Data Quality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Foreign Workers ◽  
Improve Data Quality ◽  
The Us ◽  
Indian Perspective

What can researchers do to address anomalous survey and experimental responses on Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk)? Much of the anomalous response problem has been traced to India, and several survey and technological techniques have been developed to detect foreign workers accessing US-specific surveys. We survey Indian MTurkers and find that 26% pass survey questions used to detect foreign workers, and 3% claim to be located in the United States. We show that restricting respondents to Master Workers and removing the US location requirement encourages Indian MTurkers to correctly self-report their location, helping to reduce anomalous responses among US respondents and to improve data quality. Based on these results, we outline key considerations for researchers seeking to maximize data quality while keeping costs low.

scholarly journals Counting polyamorists who count: Prevalence and definitions of an under-researched form of consensual nonmonogamy

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler Burleigh ◽  
Alicia Rubel
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
General Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Relationship Status ◽  
Relationship Beliefs ◽  
United States Population ◽  
Prevalence Estimates ◽  
The Us ◽  
Sample Weighting

Despite a growing interest in polyamory, it is unknown how many polyamorists there are in the general population. In acknowledging that the meaning of ‘polyamory’ is contested (e.g., Klesse, 2014), we estimated the prevalence of polyamory when it was defined as: 1) an identity, 2) relationship beliefs/preferences, 3) relationship status, and 4) relationship agreements. We recruited 972 individuals from Mechanical Turk and used a sample weighting procedure to approximate a representative sample of the United States population. Point prevalence estimates ranged from about 0.6% to 5%, and lifetime estimates ranged from about 2% to 23%. Thus, we estimate that there are at least 1.44 million adults in the US who count as polyamorous.

scholarly journals Lie for a Dime: When most prescreening responses are honest but most "eligible" respondents are lies

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesse J. Chandler ◽  
Gabriele Paolacci
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Large Samples

AbstractThe Internet has enabled recruitment of large samples with specificcharacteristics. However, when researchers rely on participant self-reportto determine eligibility, data quality depends on participant honesty.Across four studies on Amazon Mechanical Turk, we show that a substantialnumber of participants misrepresent theoretically relevant characteristics(e.g., demographics, product ownership) to meet eligibility criteriaexplicit in the studies or inferred by exclusion from the study on a firstattempt or in previous experiences with similar studies. When recruitingrare populations, a large proportion of responses can be deceptive. Weconclude with recommendations about how to ensure that ineligibleparticipants are excluded that are applicable to a wide variety of datacollection efforts that rely on self-report.

scholarly journals Re-estimating prevalence of hepatitis B virus immunity among adults in the United States: self-reported vaccination, immunologic markers, and bias correction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel T Vader ◽  
Chari Cohen ◽  
Neal D Goldstein ◽  
Brian K Lee ◽  
Harrison Quick ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hepatitis B ◽  
Asian Americans ◽  
Measurement Errors ◽  
Outcome Measurement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Hepatitis B Vaccination ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
The Us

Background: Two instruments used to measure adult hepatitis B vaccination coverage in the United States are self-report and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs). Estimates based on either of these measures are subject to misclassification when used to determine immunity to hepatitis B. This study presents misclassification-corrected estimates of hepatitis B immune prevalence in the US and compares them to self-report- and antibody-based estimates. Methods: We used cross-sectional data from the 2015-2016 NHANES cycle on 5,151 adults in the US age 18 and older. Existing literature on long-term immunity after vaccination informed anti-HBs sensitivity as a measure of immunity. Our model incorporated literature-based distributions for sensitivity and specificity using a Bayesian approach to correct for misclassification of true immune status by anti-HBs. Results: After correcting for misclassification, overall adult immune prevalence was estimated at 31.0% (95% credible interval, 27.9% to 34.1%). Anti-HBs prevalence was 6.4 (3.9 to 8.8) and self-report prevalence 2.6 (-0.6 to 5.8) percentage points lower than overall immune prevalence. Among Asian Americans, anti-HBs and self-report underestimated immune prevalence by 15.8% (11.5% to 20.9%) and 25.1% (17.3% to 33.2%), respectively. Among 19 to 25-year-olds, anti-HBs and self-report underestimated immune prevalence by 26.5% (20.7% to 32.5%) and 21.0% (12.6% to 28.9%). Conclusions: Both self-reported vaccination and antibody-based measures underestimate hepatitis B immunity among adults. This underestimation was especially large among younger adults and Asian Americans. The consequences of treating these surrogates as unbiased measures of vaccination or immunity may only increase as more vaccinated children age into adulthood. Keywords: hepatitis B, hepatitis B vaccine, hepatitis B antibodies, patient reported outcome measures, outcome measurement errors, immunological memory

scholarly journals The Hidden Cost of Using Amazon Mechanical Turk for Research

2021 ◽  
pp. 147-164
Author(s):  
Antonios Saravanos ◽  
Stavros Zervoudakis ◽  
Dongnanzi Zheng ◽  
Neil Stott ◽  
Bohdan Hawryluk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Mechanical Turk ◽  
Amazon Mechanical Turk ◽  
Multiple Forms ◽  
Approval Rate ◽  
Technology Products ◽  
Hidden Cost

AbstractIn this study, we investigate the attentiveness exhibited by participants sourced through Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), thereby discovering a significant level of inattentiveness amongst the platform’s top crowd workers (those classified as ‘Master’, with an ‘Approval Rate’ of 98% or more, and a ‘Number of HITS approved’ value of 1,000 or more). A total of 564 individuals from the United States participated in our experiment. They were asked to read a vignette outlining one of four hypothetical technology products and then complete a related survey. Three forms of attention check (logic, honesty, and time) were used to assess attentiveness. Through this experiment we determined that a total of 126 (22.3%) participants failed at least one of the three forms of attention check, with most (94) failing the honesty check – followed by the logic check (31), and the time check (27). Thus, we established that significant levels of inattentiveness exist even among the most elite MTurk workers. The study concludes by reaffirming the need for multiple forms of carefully crafted attention checks, irrespective of whether participant quality is presumed to be high according to MTurk criteria such as ‘Master’, ‘Approval Rate’, and ‘Number of HITS approved’. Furthermore, we propose that researchers adjust their proposals to account for the effort and costs required to address participant inattentiveness.

Cultural Awareness of Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Mixed-Methods Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242
Author(s):  
Celeste Domsch ◽  
Lori Stiritz ◽  
Jay Huff
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Global Awareness ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Short Term Study

Purpose This study used a mixed-methods design to assess changes in students' cultural awareness during and following a short-term study abroad. Method Thirty-six undergraduate and graduate students participated in a 2-week study abroad to England during the summers of 2016 and 2017. Quantitative data were collected using standardized self-report measures administered prior to departure and after returning to the United States and were analyzed using paired-samples t tests. Qualitative data were collected in the form of daily journal reflections during the trip and interviews after returning to the United States and analyzed using phenomenological methods. Results No statistically significant changes were evident on any standardized self-report measures once corrections for multiple t tests were applied. In addition, a ceiling effect was found on one measure. On the qualitative measures, themes from student transcripts included increased global awareness and a sense of personal growth. Conclusions Measuring cultural awareness poses many challenges. One is that social desirability bias may influence responses. A second is that current measures of cultural competence may exhibit ceiling or floor effects. Analysis of qualitative data may be more useful in examining effects of participation in a short-term study abroad, which appears to result in decreased ethnocentrism and increased global awareness in communication sciences and disorders students. Future work may wish to consider the long-term effects of participation in a study abroad for emerging professionals in the field.

The United States and the Iranian Nuclear Programme

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Hurst
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Domestic Politics ◽  
The United States ◽  
Nixon Administration ◽  
Comprehensive Plan ◽  
The Us ◽  
Nuclear Issue ◽  
The Relationship

The United States, Iran and the Bomb provides the first comprehensive analysis of the US-Iranian nuclear relationship from its origins through to the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Starting with the Nixon administration in the 1970s, it analyses the policies of successive US administrations toward the Iranian nuclear programme. Emphasizing the centrality of domestic politics to decision-making on both sides, it offers both an explanation of the evolution of the relationship and a critique of successive US administrations' efforts to halt the Iranian nuclear programme, with neither coercive measures nor inducements effectively applied. The book further argues that factional politics inside Iran played a crucial role in Iranian nuclear decision-making and that American policy tended to reinforce the position of Iranian hardliners and undermine that of those who were prepared to compromise on the nuclear issue. In the final chapter it demonstrates how President Obama's alterations to American strategy, accompanied by shifts in Iranian domestic politics, finally brought about the signing of the JCPOA in 2015.

‘To see oursels as ithers see us’: Reflections on Scottish Independence from the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 381-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
Euan Hague ◽  
Alan Mackie
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Us ◽  
Scottish Independence ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Scottish Diaspora

The United States media have given rather little attention to the question of the Scottish referendum despite important economic, political and military links between the US and the UK/Scotland. For some in the US a ‘no’ vote would be greeted with relief given these ties: for others, a ‘yes’ vote would be acclaimed as an underdog escaping England's imperium, a narrative clearly echoing America's own founding story. This article explores commentary in the US press and media as well as reporting evidence from on-going interviews with the Scottish diaspora in the US. It concludes that there is as complex a picture of the 2014 referendum in the United States as there is in Scotland.

Palestine Unbound

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 130-134
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Task Force ◽  
The United States ◽  
Donald Trump ◽  
Tel Aviv ◽  
The Us ◽  
Intention To Move ◽  
Arab Israeli Conflict ◽  
The U.S

This section, updated regularly on the blog Palestine Square, covers popular conversations related to the Palestinians and the Arab-Israeli conflict during the quarter 16 November 2017 to 15 February 2018: #JerusalemIstheCapitalofPalestine went viral after U.S. president Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced his intention to move the U.S. embassy there from Tel Aviv. The arrest of Palestinian teenager Ahed Tamimi for slapping an Israeli soldier also prompted a viral campaign under the hashtag #FreeAhed. A smaller campaign protested the exclusion of Palestinian human rights from the agenda of the annual Creating Change conference organized by the US-based National LGBTQ Task Force in Washington. And, UNRWA publicized its emergency funding appeal, following the decision of the United States to slash funding to the organization, with the hashtag #DignityIsPriceless.

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