TY - JOUR
T1 - Tracking infant development with a smartphone
T2 - A practical guide to the Experience Sampling Method
AU - van den Heuvel, Marion I.
AU - Bülow, Anne
AU - Heininga, Vera E.
AU - De Moor, Elisabeth L.
AU - Janssen, Loes H. C.
AU - Vanden Abeele, Mariek
AU - Boekhorst, Myrthe G. B. M.
N1 - Funding
This project was supported by awards from the Dutch Research Council (NWO), Veni.VI.191G.025 (PI: MH), a Vidi 452-17-011 (PI: Loes Keijsers), a Vici 453-15-006 (PI: Bernet Elzinga), and EM was supported by a grant from the European Research Council (ERC-2017-CoG-773023).
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The COVID-19 pandemic has forced developmental researchers to rethink their traditional research practices. The growing need to study infant development at a distance has shifted our research paradigm to online and digital monitoring of infants and families, using electronic devices, such as smartphones. In this practical guide, we introduce the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) – a research method to collect data, in the moment, on multiple occasions over time – for examining infant development at a distance. ESM is highly suited for assessing dynamic processes of infant development and family dynamics, such as parent-infant interactions and parenting practices. It can also be used to track highly fluctuating family dynamics (e.g., infant and parental mood or behavior) and routines (e.g., activity levels and feeding practices). The aim of the current paper was to provide an overview by explaining what ESM is and for what types of research ESM is best suited. Next, we provide a brief step-by-step guide on how to start and run an ESM study, including preregistration, development of a questionnaire, using wearables and other hardware, planning and design considerations, and examples of possible analysis techniques. Finally, we discuss common pitfalls of ESM research and how to avoid them.
AB - The COVID-19 pandemic has forced developmental researchers to rethink their traditional research practices. The growing need to study infant development at a distance has shifted our research paradigm to online and digital monitoring of infants and families, using electronic devices, such as smartphones. In this practical guide, we introduce the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) – a research method to collect data, in the moment, on multiple occasions over time – for examining infant development at a distance. ESM is highly suited for assessing dynamic processes of infant development and family dynamics, such as parent-infant interactions and parenting practices. It can also be used to track highly fluctuating family dynamics (e.g., infant and parental mood or behavior) and routines (e.g., activity levels and feeding practices). The aim of the current paper was to provide an overview by explaining what ESM is and for what types of research ESM is best suited. Next, we provide a brief step-by-step guide on how to start and run an ESM study, including preregistration, development of a questionnaire, using wearables and other hardware, planning and design considerations, and examples of possible analysis techniques. Finally, we discuss common pitfalls of ESM research and how to avoid them.
U2 - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703743
DO - 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703743
M3 - Article
SN - 1664-1078
VL - 12
JO - Frontiers in Psychology
JF - Frontiers in Psychology
M1 - 703743
ER -