What Risks Do People Perceive in Everyday Life? A Perspective Gained from the Experience Sampling Method (ESM)

Abstract

The experience sampling method (ESM) was used to collect data from 74 part‐time students who described and assessed the risks involved in their current activities when interrupted at random moments by text messages. The major categories of perceived risk were short term in nature and involved “loss of time or materials” related to work and “physical damage” (e.g., from transportation). Using techniques of multilevel analysis, we demonstrate effects of gender, emotional state, and types of risk on assessments of risk. Specifically, females do not differ from males in assessing the potential severity of risks but they see these as more likely to occur. Also, participants assessed risks to be lower when in more positive self‐reported emotional states. We further demonstrate the potential of ESM by showing that risk assessments associated with current actions exceed those made retrospectively. We conclude by noting advantages and disadvantages of ESM for collecting data about risk perceptions.

Emotion and reason in everyday risk perception

“…On average, participants responded between zero and ten minutes after reception (overall mean of one minute). The distribution of types of activities and risks was similar to a previous study (Hogarth, Portell, & Cuxart, 2007) and is not presented here. Table 1 reports HLM results of regressing perceived risk on mood and emotional reactions as well as gender.…”

Research In Brief: Using Mobile Phones to Collect Daily Experience Data From College Undergraduates

“…Other research topics studied in college settings through daily experience data methods have included motivators of alcohol use (Hussong, 2003), and events evoking social anxiety (M. R. Lee, Okazaki, & Yoo, 2006). In their study of risk perceptions among college students, Hogarth, Portell, and Cuxart (2007) used an event-based ESM design, but utilized students' own mobile phones rather than providing pagers. In that study, participants were supplied with questionnaires that they were asked to complete whenever they received a text message from the researcher.…”

Using Adobe Flash Lite on mobile phones for psychological research: Reaction time measurement reliability and interdevice variability

“…As we saw in the examples of Shephard et al (2006) and Hogarth et al (2007), they allow testing to be done "in the field," where it would be harder to test using a traditional computer-based setup. Shephard et al used the extreme example of testing in space, but also suggested that there may be down-to-earth scenarios that could be explored using mobile devices.…”

“…It would therefore be possible to do as Hogarth et al (2007) did and contact people, or ask them to respond at a specific time. Thus, the effect of circadian rhythms could easily be investigated.…”