Gerontological research is an interdisciplinary field with a history spanning over a century. Historically, gerontological research has focused on the biological processes of aging and related medical treatments. Increasingly, gerontological research addresses not only the biological processes of aging but also the behavioral indicators in activities of daily living, and for informing programs for aging well at older adulthood. Digital age data collection platforms are being implemented for use by populations throughout the life course, including older adults. One of the data collection platforms gaining wide adoption is Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTURK). This chapter briefly describes MTURK data collection platform features and characteristics by way of orientation to less-familiar readers. It, then, provides an overview of gerontological research studies that utilized MTURK, highlighting the diversity in samples, and dependability of sample sizes. The chapter considers the relative advantage, accessibility, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability qualities using MTURK. Next, by way of illustration, the chapter briefly outlines a research study on older adults’ assisted living social connectedness that completed using MTURK. Finally, the chapter considers the strengths and limitations of using MTURK in gerontological research.

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MTURK: Utility in Gerontological Behavioral Health Research

  • Rekha Pudur,
  • Elias Mpofu

摘要

Gerontological research is an interdisciplinary field with a history spanning over a century. Historically, gerontological research has focused on the biological processes of aging and related medical treatments. Increasingly, gerontological research addresses not only the biological processes of aging but also the behavioral indicators in activities of daily living, and for informing programs for aging well at older adulthood. Digital age data collection platforms are being implemented for use by populations throughout the life course, including older adults. One of the data collection platforms gaining wide adoption is Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTURK). This chapter briefly describes MTURK data collection platform features and characteristics by way of orientation to less-familiar readers. It, then, provides an overview of gerontological research studies that utilized MTURK, highlighting the diversity in samples, and dependability of sample sizes. The chapter considers the relative advantage, accessibility, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability qualities using MTURK. Next, by way of illustration, the chapter briefly outlines a research study on older adults’ assisted living social connectedness that completed using MTURK. Finally, the chapter considers the strengths and limitations of using MTURK in gerontological research.