Experience sampling study on the dynamics and consequences of sleep quality in daily life
Additional information
Type of assignment: BSc. thesis
Internal/external: Internal
How many students? 2
Supervision: Individually / in (sub)groups
Includes data collection? Yes
Type of research: Longitudinal, quantitative, survey type
Number of ECTS? 15 ECTS
Research assignment
The negative effects of poor sleep on many aspects of mental and physical health and functioning has been abundantly demonstrated. However, much of this research is based on retrospective and cross-sectional studies and relatively little is known about between- and within-person variability in sleep quality and their predictive role for health and functioning in daily life.
In the current study you will explore daily dynamics in sleep quantity and quality and their association with one of more variables of your own interest using an experience sampling method (ESM) design. ESM is a fairly new type of research design that uses a smartphone app to repeatedly (e.g., once or multiple times a day) measure self-reported experiences and behaviours over several consecutive days or weeks using very short questionnaires (Myin-Germeys & Kuppens, 2021). Because of the intensive nature of the data collection, ESM studies are often performed in relatively small samples sizes.
For the current study each student will aim to recruit at least 10 participants and you will collect data together. Participants in the study will receive a notification on their phone each morning asking them to rate the quantity and quality of their sleep in the past night for two weeks. Additionally, they will receive multiple questionnaires at semi-random time points during the day asking about selected thoughts, feelings or behaviours. You are free to select your own constructs or behaviours of interest (e.g., mood, concentration, eating habits), as long as they can be easily measured using a small number of questions.
Who do we look for?
Students with an interest in the topic of sleep and in doing quantitative data preparation, visualisation and analysis.
References
Myin-Germeys, I., & Kuppens, P. (2021). The Open Handbook of Experience Sampling Methodology: A step-by-step guide to designing, conducting, and analyzing ESM studies (2nd ed.). Center for Research on Experience Sampling and Ambulatory Methods Leuven. https://www.kuleuven.be/samenwerking/real/real-book/index.htm