Tracking Infant Development With a Smartphone: A Practical Guide to the Experience Sampling Method

Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, pp. 703743

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced developmental researchers to rethink their traditional research practices. The growing need to study infant development at a distance has shifted our research paradigm to online and digital monitoring of infants and families, using electronic devices, such as smartphones. In this practical guide, we introduce the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) - a research method to collect data, in the moment, on multiple occasions over time - for examining infant development at a distance. ESM is highly suited for assessing dynamic processes of infant development and family dynamics, such as parent-infant interactions and parenting practices. It can also be used to track highly fluctuating family dynamics (e.g., infant and parental mood or behavior) and routines (e.g., activity levels and feeding practices). The aim of the current paper was to provide an overview by explaining what ESM is and for what types of research ESM is best suited. Next, we provide a brief step-by-step guide on how to start and run an ESM study, including preregistration, development of a questionnaire, using wearables and other hardware, planning and design considerations, and examples of possible analysis techniques. Finally, we discuss common pitfalls of ESM research and how to avoid them.

Authors 7

1. Marion I. van den Heuvel corresponding

   Tilburg University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands

2. Anne Bülow

   Tilburg University · Erasmus University Rotterdam

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Developmental Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands

   Department of Psychology Education & Child Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands

3. Vera Ellen Heininga

   University of Groningen · KU Leuven

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Developmental Psychology, Groningen University, Groningen, Netherlands

   Department of Quantitative Psychology and Individual Differences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

4. Elisabeth L. de Moor

   Utrecht University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands

5. Loes H. C. Janssen Aachen Department of Clinical Psychology

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Clinical Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands

6. Mariek Vanden Abeele

   Ghent University

   Affiliation as printed

   imec-mict-UGent, Department of Communication Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

7. Myrthe G. B. M. Boekhorst

   Tilburg University

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Cognitive Neuropsychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands

   Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands