In the DRM, participants revive memories of the previous day by writing a short diary. They are told to think of their day as a series of scenes or episodes in a film. Next, they answer a series of questions about each episode, including where they were, what they were doing, whom they were with, and how they felt during the episode. The goal is to provide researchers with an accurate picture of the moment-to-moment experiences associated with daily activities.
In a test of DRM, involving 909 employed women, Dr. Kahneman and his colleagues validated this new approach by comparing the results to findings obtained using the experience sampling method, in which people are prompted at random moments throughout the day to record what they are currently doing and how they are feeling. The women who participated in the DRM, for instance, reported the same pattern of tiredness as participants in an experience sampling study: decreasing tiredness throughout the morning, followed by increasing weariness after noon, and peaking at the end of the work day. Experience sampling is considered the gold standard for assessing the details of individuals' feelings, but the DRM approach is considerably less expensive and more efficient.
The researchers used the ratings of different activities by DRM participants to define an "enjoyment" scale. On the high end of the scale was relaxing with friends, followed by lunch with co-workers, watching TV alone, shopping with a spouse, and cooking alone. Being with one's boss and commuting alone anchored the low end of the enjoyment scale. The scale was then used to characterize the effects of a variety of circumstances. For example, sleep quality had a large effect on the enjoyment of life. Women who slept poorly, on average, enjoyed their day as little as a typical per
'"/>
Contact: Doug Dollemore
dollemod@nia.nih.gov
301-496-1752
NIH/National Institute on Aging
2-Dec-2004