ABSTRACT
Psychological theories are useful for predicting how people's behaviors may vary over time as a result of corresponding changes in the environment, interpersonal encounters, and the thoughts, feelings, and moods they experience along the way. Tests of such predictions sometimes require naturalistic assessment methods that incorporate what are termed “intensive repeated measures” (IRM) designs, which are longitudinal survey studies incorporating one or more daily assessments of cognitions and behaviors. In his chapter we focus on the example of daily diary research to discuss current best practices for successful IRM study implementation and data analysis, practical advice for how to avoid common study pitfalls, and future directions of the field.
