The Use of Ecological Momentary The Use of Ecological Momentary Assessment Techniques to Capture Assessment Techniques to Capture

Experience in Real-TimeExperience in Real-Time

Kate GunthertDepartment of Psychology

Assessing Human BehaviorAssessing Human Behavior

Tradition of single-administration Tradition of single-administration questionnairesquestionnaires

Self-report, usually retrospective, Self-report, usually retrospective, covering long periods of timecovering long periods of time

Most psychological variables Most psychological variables fluctuate (mood, stress, self-esteem)fluctuate (mood, stress, self-esteem)

Need better toolsNeed better tools

Real-Time Data CaptureReal-Time Data Capture

Ecological Momentary Assessment, Ecological Momentary Assessment, Experience SamplingExperience Sampling

Repeated assessments over the course of Repeated assessments over the course of time while people are functioning within time while people are functioning within their natural settingstheir natural settings

Paper diaries, Palm Pilots, cell phones, Paper diaries, Palm Pilots, cell phones, interactive voice response systems, web-interactive voice response systems, web-based assessmentsbased assessments

My Work: Daily Stress Responses My Work: Daily Stress Responses and Depression Vulnerabilityand Depression Vulnerability

Studies investigating how everyday patterns of Studies investigating how everyday patterns of responding to stress relate to depression responding to stress relate to depression vulnerability and recoveryvulnerability and recovery

Intensive daily assessment designs to get rich Intensive daily assessment designs to get rich picture of everyday functioningpicture of everyday functioning

Follow people intensively and see what happens Follow people intensively and see what happens to mood when confronted with a stressor in their to mood when confronted with a stressor in their naturalistic settingnaturalistic setting

Should help us better identify risk factorsShould help us better identify risk factors Idea = tough to capture processes like coping Idea = tough to capture processes like coping

and emotion regulation with single and emotion regulation with single administration questionnairesadministration questionnaires

We’ve assessed:We’ve assessed: StressStress Coping behaviorCoping behavior Mood Mood Eating behaviorEating behavior Self-EsteemSelf-Esteem Negative and Positive ThinkingNegative and Positive Thinking Feelings of DependencyFeelings of Dependency Interpersonal PerceptionsInterpersonal Perceptions Interpersonal ResponsesInterpersonal Responses Time UseTime Use

Also used to asses…Also used to asses…

Situational characteristicsSituational characteristics• Where are you? Where are you? • What are you doing?What are you doing?• What are other people doing?What are other people doing?• What resources do you have access to?What resources do you have access to?

Cognitive performanceCognitive performance Time of day effects, day of week Time of day effects, day of week

effectseffects

MethodsMethods Paper diariesPaper diaries

• Self-selected contextSelf-selected context• ComplianceCompliance• Stone et al studyStone et al study

PDAsPDAs• Time-stampTime-stamp• BranchingBranching• SignalingSignaling

Cell PhonesCell Phones Interactive Voice Response SystemInteractive Voice Response System Ambulatory Monitoring – Heart rateAmbulatory Monitoring – Heart rate Web-basedWeb-based

Ecological Momentary Assessment: Ecological Momentary Assessment: StrengthsStrengths

Reduces retrospective recall biasReduces retrospective recall bias• E.g., “How have you coped over past 6 E.g., “How have you coped over past 6

months?”months?”• How accessible is this info in memory?How accessible is this info in memory?• Answers based on partial recall, Answers based on partial recall,

reconstruction, other short cutsreconstruction, other short cuts• E.g., Kahneman studyE.g., Kahneman study

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Patient A

Patient B

1 8 15

MINUTES

PAINRATING

Recall biasRecall bias

Report dominated by peak and end Report dominated by peak and end (heuristics)(heuristics)

Also influenced by:Also influenced by: Current mood statesCurrent mood states Knowledge of outcomesKnowledge of outcomes Preexisting beliefsPreexisting beliefs

• Porter et al studyPorter et al study

Ecological Momentary Assessment: Ecological Momentary Assessment: StrengthsStrengths

Ecological validityEcological validity Ability to model temporal relationsAbility to model temporal relations Contingencies can be notedContingencies can be noted Understanding within-person variability, Understanding within-person variability,

and individual differences that affect and individual differences that affect variabilityvariability• Static vs. Process-oriented variablesStatic vs. Process-oriented variables• Emotional Reactivity Emotional Reactivity • Carryover of moodCarryover of mood

Processes of changeProcesses of change

Some examples and findings…Some examples and findings…

Emotional reactivity as a Emotional reactivity as a vulnerability factorvulnerability factor

Vulnerable people will struggle to Vulnerable people will struggle to regulate their daily mood more than regulate their daily mood more than non-vulnerable peoplenon-vulnerable people

Emotional ReactivityEmotional Reactivity

Stress

Neg

ativ

e M

ood

Low High

PERSON A

PERSON B

Emotional Reactivity to Daily Interpersonal Emotional Reactivity to Daily Interpersonal Stressors as a Predictor of Future Stressors as a Predictor of Future

Depressive SymptomsDepressive Symptoms

100 college students100 college students Initial measures of depressionInitial measures of depression 14 days completed measures of 14 days completed measures of

stress, coping, and moodstress, coping, and mood Depression and life events assessed Depression and life events assessed

2 month follow-up2 month follow-up

Emotional Reactivity to Daily Interpersonal Emotional Reactivity to Daily Interpersonal Stressors as a Prospective Predictor of Stressors as a Prospective Predictor of

Depressive SymptomsDepressive Symptoms

Emotional reactivity indices for mood change in Emotional reactivity indices for mood change in response to interpersonal stress and mood response to interpersonal stress and mood change in response to noninterpersonal stresschange in response to noninterpersonal stress

Findings: Findings: Emotional reactivity to interpersonal stress Emotional reactivity to interpersonal stress Emotional reactivity to noninterpersonal stress Emotional reactivity to noninterpersonal stress Why? Why? Rated interpersonal stressors as more Rated interpersonal stressors as more

threatening and themselves as less capable of threatening and themselves as less capable of coping with interpersonal stresscoping with interpersonal stress

Depression and Next-Day Spillover of Depression and Next-Day Spillover of Negative Mood and Cognitions Following Negative Mood and Cognitions Following

Interpersonal StressInterpersonal Stress

Depressed outpatients Depressed outpatients Daily reports of stress, mood, Daily reports of stress, mood,

negative thinking negative thinking Higher in depression didn’t react Higher in depression didn’t react

differently same daydifferently same day BUT, lingering effect…BUT, lingering effect… Not simply that the events Not simply that the events

themselves carried over…themselves carried over…

ConsiderationsConsiderations

Type of AlertType of Alert• RandomRandom• Scheduled (can anticipate and plan Scheduled (can anticipate and plan

around)around)• Event-basedEvent-based

Scheduling requirementsScheduling requirements Question orderQuestion order Contingencies/branchingContingencies/branching

Few issues in this type of Few issues in this type of research..research..

BurdenBurdenNo EMA 3 per day 6 per day 12 per

day

Willingness to participate again

2.43 2.73 2.18 2.5

Burden of participation

.43 .64 .91 1.33

Interfere with daily activities

.57 .50 .64 1.25

0 = Not at all, 1 = Slightly, 2 = Moderately, 3 = Extremely

From Hufford (2003)

Few issues in this type of Few issues in this type of research..research..

ComplianceCompliance Assessment lengthAssessment length ReactivityReactivity Selection BiasSelection Bias

• Who are we sampling here? Who provides the most Who are we sampling here? Who provides the most data?data?

CostCost Some of the same old problems…Some of the same old problems…

• Question interpretationQuestion interpretation• Social desirabilitySocial desirability• InsightInsight

But…But…

Advantages hugeAdvantages huge Processes that underlie psychological Processes that underlie psychological

and group processesand group processes

Statistical Analysis of EMA DataStatistical Analysis of EMA Data

Nested dataNested data Observations nested within person, Observations nested within person,

nested within dyad, nested within nested within dyad, nested within departmentdepartment

Multilevel modeling / Hierarchical Multilevel modeling / Hierarchical linear modelinglinear modeling

FutureFuture

Cell PhonesCell Phones Wireless data retrievalWireless data retrieval Context Aware Experience SamplingContext Aware Experience Sampling Integrating with ambulatory Integrating with ambulatory

monitoring of physiological stress monitoring of physiological stress responsesresponses