Recommendations for Conducting Longitudinal Experience Sampling Studies

The Experience Sampling Method is used to collect participant self-reports over extended observation periods. These self-reports offer a rich insight into the individual lives of study participants by intermittently asking participants a set of questions. However, the longitudinal and repetitive nature of this sampling approach introduces a variety of concerns regarding the data contributed by participants. A decrease in participant interest and motivation may negatively affect study adherence, as well as potentially affecting the reliability of participant data. In this chapter, we reflect on a number of studies that aim to understand better participant performance with Experience Sampling. We discuss the main issues relating to participant data for longitudinal studies and provide hands-on recommendations for researchers to remedy these concerns in their own studies.