EXPERINCE SAMPLING METHODOLOGY (ESM) TECHNOLOGIES / DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGIES

09 February 2023

The majority of studies in the fields of psychology and psychiatry are conducted with traditional research methods such as self-report scales. These methods rely on a person's ability to be aware of their internal experiences and willingness to share them and typically consist of questions focused on a specific period. However, these traditional methods, which are sensitive to response and recall biases, may not accurately capture fluctuations in psychological processes and their temporal relationships between these processes. While these methods allow for group-level analysis, they often overlook the variability of psychological processes at the individual level. However, psychological processes have a structure that varies from person to person and over time. Experimental studies that allow manipulation and detection of temporal relationships between variables provide lower generalizability due to being conducted under laboratory conditions. Therefore, there is a need for measurement tools that have high ecological validity and can account for differing effects in individual variability. The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) was developed in response to this need. ESM is a structured and intensive data collection technique that aims to assess individuals' internal experiences, such as emotions, thoughts, and physical symptoms, as well as symptoms and contextual factors in their daily lives. Participants are required to report their current experiences at certain times. With advances in technology, data can easily be collected through mobile applications, and simultaneous physiological measurements can also be made using wearable devices, which provides comprehensive evaluation. This method, which both researchers and clinicians can use, has become increasingly popular in recent years with the growing importance of personalized medicine and treatment. The use of ESM in the field of mental health provides advantages such as understanding how symptoms appear in daily life and how they change over time, tracking the dynamic structure of emotions, identifying internal and situational factors of psychopathology, examining individual-environment interactions and social interactions, and evaluating treatment, and opens the way for new interventions that can transfer treatment from the clinical environment to real life. We aim to use, develop and promote this method in our country, which will contribute to our understanding of human behavior and, thus, of humans, through these advantages.