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Measurement of Psychological Constructs in ESM Studies

The use of Experience Sampling Method (ESM) has greatly increased in the field of Social Sciences. ESM is an appealing methodology for researchers because it provides increased ecological validity, yet, it is not immune to basic issues of measurement such as reliability and validity. Researchers who utilize this method should therefore increase their awareness about how to apply good measurement practices. In this paper, we provide guidelines and instructions regarding scale selection and development that we can apply from existing research and issues and decisions that may be more applicable to the ESM context.  We start with describing the current state of the art using insights from our literature review. Subsequently, based on these findings and drawing from our own experiences in conducting ESM research, we provide recommendations regarding scale selection and development. Further, we provide checklists on what to report in the methods section of ESM studies that can be used by ESM researchers for future ESM studies.

Included authors:

  • Daphne van der Kruijssen (Tilburg University)
  • Joanne Chung (Tilburg University)
  • Savannah Boele (Tilburg University)
  • Renee Sagel (Tilburg University)
  • Egon Dejonckheere (KU Leuven)
  • Loes Keijsers (Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam)
  • Eeske van Roekel (Tilburg University)