Assessing behavior close to or in the moment in which it occurs and in the context of people's daily lives is essential for many research questions. Such Real-Time Data Capture (RTDC) methods allow for the frequent or continuous measurement of target behaviors. However, utilizing RTDC requires careful forethought and planning, especially when considering the sampling technique, duration of the study, and frequency of assessment. With the rich data accumulating from RTDC approaches, a variety of statistical analyses are available, ranging from simple to complex. These analyses allow for the assessment of intraindividual variability and changes over time. Because the study occurs within the context of one's daily environment, RTDC studies are thought to have high ecological validity and a reduction in time-related biases. Due to the many benefits associated with RTDC, there is an increasing interest in this methodology among novices and established researchers. This article discusses best practices for conducting RTDC and provides a brief overview of analytic approaches useful in RTDC studies. What is the significance of this article for the general public?Real-Time Data Capture approaches permit an examination of behavior in its real-world context. Thus, psychologists can better understand a variety of health and emotional processes, which may add to our knowledge of behavior. The purpose of this article is to provide researchers with an overview of Real-Time Data Capture and to discuss relevant issues, such as assessment duration, frequency, and timing; advanced statistical analyses; and the utility of Real-Time Data Capture.

Consumer tasks permit an ecologically-valid context in which to examine the contributions of affective and cognitive resources to decision-making processes and outcomes. Although previous work shows that cognitive factors are important when individuals make decisions (Patrick et al., 2013; Queen et al.), the role of affective components is less clear. We examine these issues in two studies. Study 1 used data from 1000+ adults to inform a cluster analysis examining affective aspects (importance, meaningfulness) of making different types of decisions. A 4-cluster solution resulted. In Study 2, we used affective cluster membership and cognitive performance as predictors of experimental decision-making outcomes among a subset of participants (N = 60). Results of the regression (F(2, 40) = 6.51, p < .01, R2 = .25.) revealed that both the affective clusters (b = .37, p = .01) and cognitive ability (b = -.30, p = .04) uniquely contributed to the variance explained in decision quality. Age did not uniquely contribute. Results are discussed in the context of developing measures that enable us to move the field forward.

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This study examines how factors such as emotion and planning abilities, determine decisionmaking strategies and outcomes. Consumer-based decision tasks are one way for researchers to measure the decision-making process and outcomes of individuals, while bringing an element of reality to the task through the utilization of decisions about everyday items that someone might purchase (e.g., a car, apartment, etc.). Using these types of tasks, researchers can measure the quality of a decision (e.g., did the participant come up with the best solution?), as well as the decision or search strategy. Previous research shows that cognitive factors are important when individuals make decisions (Engle, 2018). Emotional components are also important to consider when addressing decision making in adulthood. Older adults have a better memory for emotionladen content compared to younger adults (Yoon et al., 2009). Older adults also tend to display a bias toward positive information when making decisions (Carstensen et al., 1999). The current study uses emotional variables such as decision importance and task difficulty, as well as measures of cognitive functioning, such as the digit symbol substitution task, to predict decision making quality and strategies in a consumer-based task. While previous research shows that cognitive abilities (Engle, 2018; Patrick et al., 2013) and affective components (Carstensen et al., 1999) are both important for predicting decision-making outcomes, the research regarding affective components is less well established. Results found that those who relied on a particular search strategy were more than twice as likely (OR = 2.34) to be classified as making a good decision in choosing a home. Results from this study have implications for alternate routes of intervention in the decision-making process.

With more individuals reaching ages at or above 65, dementia will become more prevalent in the coming years (Alzheimer's Association, 2015). One difficulty associated with dementia is that individuals often become disengaged from their environment. In their book, Staying in Life: Paving the Way to Dementia-Friendly Communities, authors Verena Rothe, Gabriele Kreutzner, and Reimer Gronemeyer discuss some of the problems associated with dementia in our society and outline blueprints for developing more dementia friendly communities. In the preface, the authors present their main focus on the consideration for the social facet of dementia. The vision for dementia friendly communities, where individuals with dementia interact with the rest of the public regularly, can be seen throughout their text. This vision is established through the authors' use of anecdotes describing people they have come in contact with as well as through the creative methods used to launch some of these initiatives by leaders in different social realms. The authors give a detailed account of the major topics that are often discussed when attempting to improve the connectedness of persons with dementia to the rest of society, such as friends and family, medical care, and even the media; they also offer ways to improve the effectiveness of initiatives started within a community. Original examples of efforts by local government officials and communities are discussed in a clear and engaging manner. The writing is an excellent addition to other reading in the area of dementia and active engagement with society. While this was a great supplemental book in this area, one should not limit themselves to this book alone because it is incomplete in terms of incorporating research. The authors discussed the Alzheimer's Association briefly and mentioned some other reputable individuals as well as programs; however, while it was thorough in application, it lacked empirical research supporting the authors' claims. Some work I expected to see cited in this text was general information