Investigating Conscious Experience through the Beeper Project

Abstract

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM; Larson & Csikszentmihalyi, 1983) is a means to investigate the subjective experiences of individuals as they go about their daily lives. Students from 2 Adolescent Psychology courses used the ESM in a required “beeper project.” Student research teams investigated a typical week in the life of an adolescent by paging research participants at random times and asking them to complete an experience sampling form each time. Students analyzed the data and wrote a paper on a week in the life of an adolescent. Evaluations of the project demonstrate that students found it to be an enjoyable, useful, interesting, and helpful course project.