The Time of Ambulatory Assessment

Abstract

Ambulatory assessment brings together a set of methods that make it possible to evaluate, through mobile devices, and at multiple moments in time, the behavior of people in their natural environment and daily context. It allows a more precise, dynamic, contextual, and idiographic evaluation than the classical approaches, opening new horizons with clear implications for psychological intervention. The main goal of this paper is to provide an introduction to ambulatory assessment. First, a conceptual delimitation is made and the issues to be solved are discussed, as well as their possible benefits. Second, aspects related to the methodology are exposed, addressing the designs, data types, and a general evaluation protocol. Third, some of the main limitations are discussed, and the most relevant applications are presented. Finally, some recommendations for the application of this type of methodology are discussed, and some challenges and future perspectives are analyzed.

Keywords

• ambulatory assessment
• experience sampling methodology
• ecological momentary assessment
• contextual model
• electronics devices.