TY - JOUR

T1 - Contact Logger

T2 - Measuring everyday intergroup contact experiences in near-time

AU - Keil, T.F.

AU - Koschate, M.

AU - Levine, M.

PY - 2020/8/1

Y1 - 2020/8/1

N2 - Intergroup contact research has traditionally relied on retrospective accounts of intergroup encounters, mainly through surveybased or observational methods. This study introduces and tests the usability of a purpose-built, location-aware mobile application—the Contact Logger. This application enables the recording of interpersonal and intergroup encounters, in public and private spaces (both indoor and outdoor), in their here-and-now contexts. The main advantage of this approach, as compared to traditional methods, lies in its ability to collect repeated and timely (near-time) self-assessments of individuals’ behaviors andexperiences. It also allows for geographical location data to be logged. Usability testing was conducted in a real-world environment and took place over the course of seven days, during which participants (N = 12) logged every contact they had with an outgroup member (here, older people). Subsequently, participants completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, reporting on theusability and experience of using the Contact Logger. The results showed that the application is a viable and easy-to-use alternative to traditional methods. The information gathered aided the further development and optimization of the application. The outcomes of this development process are also briefly discussed.

AB - Intergroup contact research has traditionally relied on retrospective accounts of intergroup encounters, mainly through surveybased or observational methods. This study introduces and tests the usability of a purpose-built, location-aware mobile application—the Contact Logger. This application enables the recording of interpersonal and intergroup encounters, in public and private spaces (both indoor and outdoor), in their here-and-now contexts. The main advantage of this approach, as compared to traditional methods, lies in its ability to collect repeated and timely (near-time) self-assessments of individuals’ behaviors andexperiences. It also allows for geographical location data to be logged. Usability testing was conducted in a real-world environment and took place over the course of seven days, during which participants (N = 12) logged every contact they had with an outgroup member (here, older people). Subsequently, participants completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, reporting on theusability and experience of using the Contact Logger. The results showed that the application is a viable and easy-to-use alternative to traditional methods. The information gathered aided the further development and optimization of the application. The outcomes of this development process are also briefly discussed.

KW - Intergroup contact

KW - Mobile smartphone technology

KW - Usability

KW - Near-time data collection

KW - Everyday contact

KW - Intergenerational contact

KW - Experience sampling

KW - Ecological momentary assessment

U2 - 10.3758/s13428-019-01335-w

DO - 10.3758/s13428-019-01335-w

M3 - Journal article

VL - 52

SP - 1568

EP - 1586

JO - Behavior Research Methods

JF - Behavior Research Methods

SN - 1554-351X

ER -