Reported Affect Changes as a Function of Response Delay: Findings From a Pooled Dataset of Nine Experience Sampling...

Area of Science:

• Psychological Research Methods
• Affective Science
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Delayed responses are frequent in experience sampling studies, but lack of consensus on exclusion criteria may introduce bias.
• Previous research on systematic differences between delayed and timely responses yielded inconclusive results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate systematic differences in affective responses as a function of response delay in experience sampling studies.
• To explore how clinical status (presence or absence of depression) moderates these differences.

Main Methods:

• Secondary analysis of nine paper-and-pencil experience sampling studies.
• Inclusion of 1,528 participants with varying clinical statuses.
• Examination of affect (positive and negative) and its relationship with contextual stress in relation to response delay.

Main Results:

• A significant decrease in positive affect and increase in negative affect were observed as a function of response delay across all participants.
• Delayed responses in non-depressed individuals showed higher within-person variability and an initial strengthening of the stress-affect relationship.
• Individuals with depression exhibited an opposite pattern in delayed responses compared to non-depressed individuals.

Conclusions:

• Delayed responses in experience sampling appear qualitatively different from timely responses.
• The observed differences vary between individuals with and without depression, highlighting the impact of clinical status.
• Further research is necessary to elucidate the underlying mechanisms driving these response delays and their affective consequences.