Electronic Experience Sampling Simplified

Palmtop computers have exploded on the research scene as data collection instruments. NIH has recently funded millions of dollars of research that utilizes palmtop computers to study everyday life, health and behavior in the natural environment. Most studies rely on custom developed software unique to the research study. Consumer based hardware and software are available to streamline data collection, data handling and data analysis. Utilizing this new technology will result in cleaner, more dependable data. This presentation will review past and present technology applications to the study of ordinary daily activity in the natural environment. Details will be provided on setting up an ESM study using current handheld computer technology. Future directions for instrumentation development and application will be discussed