Chapter 20
Ecological Momentary Assessment in Behavioral Medicine
Megan L. Robbins,
Thomas Kubiak,
Megan L. Robbins
Search for more papers by this authorThomas Kubiak
Search for more papers by this authorMegan L. Robbins,
Thomas Kubiak,
Megan L. Robbins
Search for more papers by this authorThomas Kubiak
Search for more papers by this authorBook Editor(s):David I. Mostofsky,
David I. Mostofsky
Search for more papers by this authorSummary
To thoroughly study how psychosocial processes influence and are influenced by health, researchers should consider using Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) as part of their program of research. This chapter provides a brief overview on applications of EMA in behavioral medicine. EMA is a framework for assessing momentary self-reports in situ, typically implemented as electronic diaries on a handheld computer or smartphone, with the goal to obtain ecologically valid, real-life data. Combining EMA with other methods of ambulatory assessment, such as physiology and/or behavior, raises interesting and important possibilities for the study of behavioral medicine. The chapter also discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the EMA approach, and highlights two selected applications of EMA in behavioral medicine and outlines some important recent developments: EMA as a tool in outcome research and EMA as an intervention tool.
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