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152 PART II: Descriptive Methodsmay respond differently when talking to a “faceless voice” than they would toa personal interviewer. The proliferation of cell phones also adds an unknowneffect, given that cell phone users are frequently “on the go” or in businesssettings when they answer their phone. This cultural change may result inlower response rates from telephone surveys. In addition, one may assume thatindividuals from higher socioeconomic groups are more likely to have multiplephone numbers and hence might be overrepresented in a survey basedon random-digit dialing. Hippler and Schwarz (1987) suggest that people takeless time to form judgments during phone interviews and may have difficultyremembering the response options offered by the interviewer. Moreover, extensiveuse of phone solicitation for selling products and requesting contributionshas led many people to be less willing to be interviewed. Options that allow forscreening calls and voice mail have made it easier for people to avoid unwantedcalls. And many people who are working two jobs are rarely at home to answerthe phone. In spite of these limitations and perhaps others you can think of,telephone interviews are frequently used for brief surveys.Internet Surveys• The Internet offers several advantages for survey research because it isan efficient, low-cost method for obtaining survey responses from large,potentially diverse and underrepresented samples.• Disadvantages associated with Internet survey research include thepotential for response rate bias and selection bias, and lack of control overthe research environment.Surveys were among the earliest Internet-based behavioral studies. Participantscomplete a questionnaire online and click on a “submit” button to havetheir responses recorded. Depending on the sophistication of the software, thereis the potential for literally millions of responses to be automatically recordedand summarized as they are processed by the receiving server. Programsalso exist to permit manipulation of variables and the random assignment ofpartici pants to experimental conditions. (See, for example, Fraley, 2004, for a“ beginner’s guide” to HTML-based psychological research on the Internet, andKraut et al., 2004, for useful Internet resources.)Numerous advantages of using the Internet for survey research immediatelycome to mind. At the top of the list are efficiency and cost (e.g., see Buchanan,2000; Skitka & Sargis, 2005). Thousands, if not millions, of participants whovary in age, ethnicity, and even nationality can be contacted through a few keystrokeson a computer. Time and labor are dramatically reduced relative to mailor telephone surveys, let alone personal interviews. Online questionnaires arepaperless, thus saving natural resources and copying costs. Participants mayrespond when it is convenient and do so without leaving the comfort of theirhome, office, dorm room, or other Internet site.In addition to reaching large and potentially diverse samples, Skitka and Sargis(2005) suggest that the Internet also has the potential for accessing groups thattypically are underrepresented in psychological research. The prevalence onthe Web of chat rooms, special interest groups, and support groups provides an