Investigating the Social Ecology of Daily Experience Using Computerized Structured Diaries

Abstract

This report describes Daily Life Architecture (DLA), a structured retrospective diary method developed to document daily experience, and place it into social and cultural context. We also discuss open-access PROUST software that implements DLA for handheld computers, allowing participants to create 24-hour self-report records regarding nearly any domain of experience that can be described through discrete categories. Drawing from a study of the social contexts of physical activity among Mexican American young adults, we describe DLA data collection and