Experience Sampling Method

Designing a Study Using ESM

In ESM studies, researchers need to select a sample of people from a population, but they must also choose a method to select a sample of moments from the population of all moments of experience. Many studies make use of signal-contingent sampling, a stratified random approach in which the day is divided into equal segments and the [Page 446]participant is signaled at a random moment during each segment. Other possibilities are to signal the participant at the same times every day (interval-contingent sampling) or to ask the participant to respond after every occurrence of a particular event of interest (event-contingent sampling). The number of times per day and the number of days that participants are signaled are parameters that can be tailored based on the research purpose and practical matters.

Increasingly, researchers are using palmtop computers as both the signaling device and the recording device. The advantages here are the direct electronic entry of the data, the ability to time-stamp each response, and the ease of programming a signaling schedule. Disadvantages include the difficulty in obtaining open-ended responses and the high cost of the devices. When a wristwatch or pager is used as the signaling device and a pen with a booklet of blank questionnaires serves as the recording device, participants can be asked open-ended questions such as “What are you doing?” rather than be forced to choose among a list of activity categories. This method is less costly, but does require more coding and data entry labor. Technology appears to be advancing to the point where an inexpensive electronic device will emerge that will allow the entry of open-ended responses with ease, perhaps like text-messaging on a mobile phone.

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