Chatbots for Experience Sampling-Initial Opportunities and Challenges

The Experience Sampling Method is a widely used methodology for the collection of self-report data. These self-reports are typically collected through bespoke mobile applications or text messages. Recently, an increasing number of social messaging applications have introduced chatbots – automated services that operate inside existing chat applications. In this paper, we present an initial study on the use of chatbots for self-report studies. Furthermore, we outline three use cases in which the use of chatbots enables new research opportunities, namely personalised and empathic chatbots, psychometric instrument construction, and group-based assessments. We conclude with an overview of the opportunities and challenges that chatbots offer to researchers employing the Experience Sampling Method.