Temporal considerations for self-report research using Short Message Service

Abstract

BACKGROUND: When using Short Message Service (SMS) as a tool for data collection in psychological research, participants can be contacted at any time. AIMS: This study examined how sampling frequency and time of day of contact impacted on response rates, response completeness, and response delay in repeated measures data collected via SMS. METHOD: Eighty five undergraduate students completed a six-item self-report questionnaire via SMS, in response to twenty SMS prompts sent on a random schedule. One group responded across two days, the other on a compressed schedule of one day. RESULTS: Overall, there was a high response rate. There was no significant difference in response rate, completeness and delay of those responding across one or two days. Timing between prompts did not impact on response behaviour. Responses were more likely to be complete if prompts were sent during the working day. LIMITATIONS: The shortest time between prompts was fifteen minutes, and use of an undergraduate sample limits generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: when conducting repeated measures sampling using SMS, researchers should be aware that more frequent sampling can be associated with poorer data quality, and should aim to collect data during the working day rather than mornings or evenings.