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Sample Size Calculator

Select Your Primary Research Focus

In Experience Sampling research, understanding the level at which you want to examine differences or relationships is crucial for determining your sample size. Please indicate whether your primary interest lies in examining differences or relationships at the person-level, the moment-level, or across both levels.

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People Level (Between-Person)

The research focuses on differences and relationships between different individuals. It aims to understand how various characteristics or experiences vary across a population.

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Moment Level (Within-Person)

The research focuses on differences and relationships across different moments. It aims to understand how people's experiences change over time and contexts.

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Cross Levels (Between & Within)

The research focuses on how individual differences interact with momentary experiences. It aims to understand how personal characteristics influence the dynamics of an individual's experiences over time and contexts.

Examples of research questions at the People Level:

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  • Relating Characteristics to Average States: Does extraversion relate to people's average happiness? Are there differences in general stress levels between people in different professions?

  • Relating Characteristics to Variability: Does extraversion relate to people's fluctuation in happiness? Are there differences in how much stress levels fluctuate between people in different professions?

  • Comparing Group Average or Variability: Does mood in the treatment group fluctuate less than in the control group? 

  • Assessing Change in States Over Time: Do my participants' average and variance in stress increase over time? 

Examples of research questions at the Moment Level:

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  • Relating Situations to Current States or Behaviors: Are people in a better mood when interacting with others? Are people more likely to eat when they're stressed? 

  • Relating Current Experiences to Subsequent States or Behaviors: Does experiencing a stressful event at work influence a person's well-being in the evening? Are people more likely to eat after experiencing an adverse event?

  • Time Patterns: How does an individual's stress level fluctuate over the course of the day? 

Examples of research questions at the Cross Levels:

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  • Interaction of Personal Traits with Momentary States: Do older and younger participants differ in how social interactions affect their momentary mood? 

  • Trait-State Interactions Over Time: Does the relationship between stress at work and evening well-being vary between individuals with different levels of resilience? 

  • Demographic Variations in Daily Patterns: How does the daily fluctuation of energy levels differ between people with different exercise habits? 

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