EXPERIENCE SAMPLING METHOD APPLICATIONS TO COMMUNICATION-RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) is a quasi-naturalistic method th at involves signaling research subjects at random times throughout the day often for a week or longer, and asking them to report on the natu re and quality of their experience. The method has been applied to an increasing number of research problems in medicine, the social science s, and communication. In this essay, the authors, who have developed t he methodology over the past 20 years, reflect on some of the method's applications within communication studies. The ESM is contrasted with traditional questionnaire and diary methods, and its value in mapping behavior's ecological context and the nature of human experience is a ssessed. The authors suggest how the method can be applied to research problems in organizational settings, such as work and schools; with r egard to mass and mediated communication; and to interpersonal, famili al, and marital communication topics.