Methodological parameter framework for designing intensive longitudinal studies

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Evidence · 1 claim (1 for) · 1 study (1 review), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 1 claim rests on one study

Description

The review organises the design of intensive longitudinal studies around core methodological parameters: study duration, assessment frequency, sampling scheme (fixed, random, semi-random, event-based), item phrasing and questionnaire density, and data-collection device. It argues these choices "contain, rather implicitly, theoretical assumptions about the psychological processes under investigation and delimit the kinds of inferences that can be drawn from the data", requiring alignment between parameters, research questions, and constructs. For example, low-frequency assessments implicitly assume no meaningful within-day fluctuations.

Accounts

• Methodological parameter framework for designing intensive longitudinal studies: The review organises the design of intensive longitudinal studies around core methodological parameters: study duration, assessment frequency, sampling scheme (fixed, random, semi-random, event-based), item phrasing and questionnaire density, and data-collection device. It argues these choices "contain, rather implicitly, theoretical assumptions about the psychological processes under investigation and delimit the kinds of inferences that can be drawn from the data", requiring alignment between parameters, research questions, and constructs. For example, low-frequency assessments implicitly assume no meaningful within-day fluctuations. (Carina Schreiber et al. (2026))

Claims

• School-based intensive longitudinal studies show wide heterogeneity in sample size, study duration, and assessment frequency, with a median sample of 157 participants and average duration of about 13 days [+M]

Related Research Methods

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Key Sources

• Carina Schreiber & Michael Becker. (2026). Intensive Longitudinal Methods in School Research: A Systematic Literature Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-026-10203-x

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	research-method
id	methodological-parameter-framework-for-designing-intensive-longitudinal-studies
title	Methodological parameter framework for designing intensive longitudinal studies
description	The review organises the design of intensive longitudinal studies around core methodological parameters: study duration, assessment frequency, sampling scheme (fixed, random, semi-random, event-based), item phrasing and questionnaire density, and data-collection device.
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-21
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content

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