Best practices for Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) research: A practical guide to coding and processing EAR data
Year: 2020
Type: article
Abstract: Since its introduction in 2001, the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR) method has become an established and broadly used tool for the naturalistic observation of daily social behavior in clinical, health, personality, and social science research. Previous treatments of the method have focused primarily on its measurement approach (relative to other ecological assessment methods), research design considerations (e.g., sampling schemes, privacy considerations), and the properties of its data (i.e., reliability, validity, and added measurement value). However, the evolved procedures and practices related to arguably one of the most critical parts of EAR research-the coding process that converts the sampled raw ambient sounds into quantitative behavioral data for statistical analysis-so far have largely been communicated informally between EAR researchers. This article documents "best practices" for processing EAR data, which have been tested and refined in our research over the years. Our aim is to provide practical information on important topics such as the development of a coding system, the training and supervision of EAR coders, EAR data preparation and database optimization, the troubleshooting of common coding challenges, and coding considerations specific to diverse populations.
Source: Behavior Research Methods
Institutions: University of Arizona, University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
Funders: National Science Foundation, Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Cancer Institute, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: Biomarkers, social, and affective predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents, Spending Time with One's Beloved Ones, G3098418976, The Daily Interactions of Couples Coping With Breast Cancer: With Whom, About Wha, Sleep and Divorce: Identifying Bidirectional Vulnerability and Resilience, Understanding the Interplay of Social Context and Physiology on Psychological Outcomes in Trauma-Exposed Adolescents, Neurobiological bases of paternal nurturance
OpenAlex ID: W2997581141