The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM) - Instrument Documentation. Kahneman PDF

DRM Documentation - 1
The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM):
Instrument Documentation
Daniel Kahneman
Princeton University
kahneman@princeton.edu
Alan B. Krueger
Princeton University
akrueger@princeton.edu
David Schkade
University of Texas, Austin
schkade@mail.utexas.edu
Norbert Schwarz
University of Michigan
nschwarz@umich.edu
Arthur Stone
Stony Brook University
astone@mail.psychiatry.sunysb.edu
July 2004
How people spend their time and how they experience the various activities and settings
of their lives are significant questions for researchers in diverse disciplines. The Day
Reconstruction Method (DRM) is designed to collect data describing the experiences a
person has on a given day, through a systematic reconstruction conducted on the
following day. The DRM builds on the strengths of time-budget measurement (Juster &
Stafford, 1985; Robinson & Godbye, 1997) and experience sampling (Stone, Shiffman, &
DeVries, 1999), and employs techniques grounded in cognitive science. The conceptual
rationale and illustrative findings, based on a sample of employed women in Texas, are
presented in Kahneman, Krueger, Schkade, Schwarz, and Stone (2004). The results
indicate a close correspondence between the DRM and established results from
experience sampling.
Key advantages of the DRM include:
Joint assessment of activities and subjective experiences
Information about the duration of each experience, allowing for duration
weighted analyses of experiences
Lower respondent burden than typical for experience sampling methods
More complete coverage of the day than typical for experience sampling
methods
Lower susceptibility to retrospective reporting biases than typical for global
reports of daily experiences
High flexibility in adapting the content of the instrument to the needs of the
specific study
Method
Instruments
The DRM asks respondents to reconstruct the previous day by completing a structured
self-administered questionnaire. A respondent first reinstantiates the previous day into
working memory by producing a short diary consisting of a sequence of episodes. This
instrument is documented as Packet 2. Its format draws on insights from cognitive
research with Event History Calendars (Belli, 1998) and facilitates retrieval from
autobiographical memory through multiple pathways. Its episodic reinstantiation format
attenuated biases commonly observed in retrospective reports (Robinson & Clore, 2002;
Schwarz & Oyserman, 2001; Schwarz & Sudman, 1994). Respondents diary entries are
confidential and the diary does not need to be returned to the researcher. This allows
respondents to use idiosyncratic notes, including details they may not want to share.
Next, respondents receive a response form (documented as Packet 3) and are
encouraged to draw on their confidential diary notes to answer a series of questions.
These questions ask them to describe key features of each episode, including (1) when
the episode began and ended, (2) what they were doing, (3) where they were, (4) whom
they were interacting with, and (5) how they felt on multiple affect dimensions. This
response form is returned to the researcher for analysis.
In addition, respondents answer a number of questions about themselves and the
circumstances of their lives (e.g., demographics, job characteristics, personality
measures). Packet 1 and Packet 4 document the variables assessed in the study
reported in Kahneman et al. (2004).

Administration
For methodological reasons, it is important that respondents complete the diary before
they are aware of the specific content of the later questions about each episode. Early
knowledge of these questions may affect the reconstruction of the previous day and may
introduce selection biases. This is best achieved by presenting the diary (Packet 2)
and the response form (Packet 3) in separate envelopes, asking respondents not to
open the next envelope until the previous material is completed.
The DRM can be administered individually or in group settings. In our experience, adults
from the general population can complete the full set of materials in 45 to 75 minutes.
References
Belli, R. (1998). The structure of autobiographical memory and the event history
calendar: Potential improvements in the quality of retrospective reports in surveys,
Memory, 6, 383-406.
Juster, F. T., & Stafford, F. P. (eds.) (1985). Time, goods, and well-being. Ann
Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research Press.
Kahneman, D., Krueger, A. B., Schkade, D., Schwarz, N., & Stone, A. A. (2004).
A survey method for characterizing daily life experience: The Day Reconstruction
Method (DRM). Manuscript under review.
Robinson, J. P., & Godbey, P. (1997). Time for life: The surprising ways
Americans use their time. University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.
Robinson, M. D., & Clore, G. L. (2002). Belief and feeling: Evidence for an
accessibility model of emotional self-reports. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 934-960.
Schwarz, N., & Oyserman, D. (2001). Asking questions about behavior:
Cognition, communication and questionnaire construction. American Journal of
Evaluation, 22, 127-160.

Schwarz, N., Sudman, S. (Eds.) Autobiographical memory and the validity of
retrospective reports. (Springer Verlag: New York, NY, 1997).
Stone, A. A., Shiffman, S. S., DeVries, M. W. (1999). Ecological momentary
assessment. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, N. Schwarz (eds.), Well-being: The
foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 61-84). New York: Russell-Sage.

Packet 1
First we have some general questions about your life. Please answer these
questions by placing a check mark next to the answer that best describes
your opinion.
1. Taking all things together, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these
days? Are you
__ very satisfied, __ satisfied, __ not very satisfied, __ not at all satisfied?
2. Next, lets turn to your life at home. Overall, how satisfied are you with your life
at home? Are you
3. And how about your job? Overall, how satisfied are you with your present job?
Are you

4. Now we would like to know how you feel and what mood you are in when you
are at home. When you are at home, what percentage of the time are you
in a bad mood ____%
a little low or irritable ____%
in a mildly pleasant mood ____%
in a very good mood ____%
Sum 100%
5. We would also like to know how you feel and what mood you are in when you
are at work. When you are at work, what percentage of the time are you
in a bad mood ____%
Sum 100%
Next, we would like to ask for some background information about you, for
statistical purposes.
1. What year were you born? _______
2. What is your gender? __ Male __ Female
3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

__ Some high school or less
__ High school diploma or equivalent
__ Some college
__ College diploma
__ Some graduate school
__ Graduate degree
4. What is your marital status?
__ single (never married) __ married __ divorced/separated __ widowed
5. How many children do you have? ______
6. If you have children, how many of them are still living with you? _____
7. Including yourself, how many people live in your household? _____

8. Which of the following categories best describes you?

__ African American
__ Hispanic
__ Caucasian
__ Asian American
__ Native American
__ South Asian/Indian Subcontinent
__ Multi-racial
__ Other, please specify: ___________________
9. What is your total annual household income?

__ $10,000 or less
__ $10,001 - $20,000
__ $20,001 - $30,000
__ $30,001 - $40,000
__ $40,001 - $50,000
__ $50,001 - $60,000
__ $60,001 - $70,000
__ $70,001 - $80,000
__ $80,001 - $90,000
__ $90,001 - $100,000
__ more than $100,000
Thank you!
You may now start on Packet 2
Packet 2
Yesterday
We would like to learn what you did and how you felt yesterday. Not all days are
the same some are better, some are worse and others are pretty typical. Here
we are only asking you about yesterday.
Because many people find it difficult to remember what exactly they did and
experienced, we will do this in three steps:
1. On the next page, we will ask you when you woke up and when you went to
sleep yesterday.
2. We'd like you to reconstruct what your day was like, as if you were writing in
your diary. Where were you? What did you do and experience? How did you
feel? Answering the questions on the next page will help you to reconstruct
your day.
This diary packet is only for you, to help you remember and
describe what happened during the first half of yesterday. It is
yours to keep, so your notes are strictly personal and confidential.
You do not need to turn it in. Nobody will read what you jot down
about your day.
3. After you have finished reconstructing your day in your diary, we will ask you
specific questions about this time (these questions are in Packet 3). In
answering these questions, wed like you to consult your diary page and the
notes you made to remind you of what you did and how you felt.
To begin, please circle the day of the week that YESTERDAY was:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Sunday
Diary Pages
About what time did you wake up yesterday? __________
And when did you go to sleep? ___________
On the next three pages, please describe your day. Think of your day as a
continuous series of scenes or episodes in a film. Give each episode a brief
name that will help you remember it (for example, commuting to work, or at
lunch with B, where B is a person or a group of people). Write down the
approximate times at which each episode began and ended. The episodes
people identify usually last between 15 minutes and 2 hours. Indications of the
end of an episode might be going to a different location, ending one activity and
starting another, or a change in the people you are interacting with.
There is one page for each part of the day Morning (from waking up until noon),
Afternoon (from noon to 6:00 pm) and Evening (from 6:00 pm until you went to
bed). There is room to list 10 episodes for each part of the day, although you
may not need that many, depending on your day. It is not necessary to fill up all
of the spaces use the breakdown of your day that makes the most sense to you
and best captures what you did and how you felt.
Try to remember each episode in detail, and write a few words that will remind
you of exactly what was going on. Also, try to remember how you felt, and what
your mood was like during each episode. What you write only has to make sense
to you, and to help you remember what happened when you are answering the
questions in Packet 3.
Remember, what you write in your diary will not be seen by anybody else.
Packet 2 is yours to keep if you wish you dont have to turn it in with the rest of
your questionnaire.
Morning
(from waking up until just before lunch)
Time it Time it Notes to yourself: What

happened?
Episode Name Began Ended What did you feel?
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

1M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

2M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

3M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

4M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

5M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

6M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

7M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

8M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

9M
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

10M
Afternoon
(from lunch until just before dinner)
What happened? Time it Time it Notes to yourself:

_Lunchtime_ _____ ______ ______________________________

1A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

2A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

3A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

4A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

5A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

6A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

7A
___________ _____ ____________________________________

8A
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

9A
___________ _____ ____________________________________
10A
Evening
(from dinnertime until just before you went to sleep)
What happened Time it Time it Notes to yourself:

_Dinnertime_ _____ ______ ______________________________

1E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

2E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

3E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

4E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

5E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

6E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

7E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

8E
___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

9E
___________ _____ ____________________________________

10E
Please look over your diary once more. Are there any other episodes that youd
like to revise or add more notes to? Is there an episode that you would want to
break up into two parts? If so, please go back and make the necessary
adjustments on your diary pages. If not, you may go on to Packet 3.
Thank You
You may now start on Packet 3.
Packet 3
How Did You Feel Yesterday?
Before we proceed, please look back at your diary pages.
How many episodes did you record for the Morning? _____
How many episodes did you record for the Afternoon? _____
How many episodes did you record for the Evening? _____
Now, we would like to learn in more detail about how you felt during those
episodes. For each episode, there are several questions about what happened
and how you felt. Please use the notes on your diary pages as often as you
need to.
Please answer the questions for every episode you recorded, beginning with the
first episode in the Morning. To make it easier to keep track, we will ask you to
write down the number of the episode that is at the end of the line where you
wrote about it in your diary. For example, the first episode of the Morning was
number 1M, the third episode of the Afternoon was number 3A, the second
episode of the Evening was number 2E, and so forth.
It is very important that we get to hear about all of the episodes you experienced
yesterday, so please be sure to answer the questions for each episode you
recorded. After you have answered the questions for all of your episodes,
including the last episode of the day (just before you went to bed), you can go on
to Packet 4.
First Morning Episode
Please look at your Diary and select the earliest episode you noted in the
Morning.
When did this first episode begin and end (e.g., 7:30am)? Please try to
remember the times as precisely as you can.
This is episode number _____, which began at _______ and ended at _______.
What were you doing? (please check all that apply)

__ commuting __ working
__ shopping __ preparing food
__ doing housework __ taking care of your children
__ eating __
praying/worshipping/meditating
__ socializing __ watching TV
__ nap/resting __ computer/internet/email
__ relaxing __ on the phone
__ intimate relations __ exercising
__ other (please specify________________)
Where were you?

__ At home __ At work __ Somewhere else
Were you interacting with anyone (including on the phone, in a teleconference,

etc)?
__ no one skip next question.
If you were interacting with someone (please check all that apply)
__ spouse/significant other __ my children
__ friends __ parents/relatives
__ co-workers __ boss
__ clients/customers/ __ other people not listed
_____________
students/patients
How did you feel during this episode?
Please rate each feeling on the scale given. A rating of 0 means that you
did not experience that feeling at all. A rating of 6 means that this feeling
was a very important part of the experience. Please circle the number
between 0 and 6 that best describes how you felt.
Not at all Very much
Impatient for it to end . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Frustrated/annoyed . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Competent/capable . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Hassled/pushed around . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Criticized/put down . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode
Now look at your Diary and select the episode that immediately followed
the one you just rated.

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Have you rated all of your episodes, including the last episode
of the day, just before you went to bed? If so, you may go on
to Packet 4.
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
to Packet 4.
Next Episode

__ eating __
Where were you?


etc)?
_____________
students/patients
Happy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Depressed/blue . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Warm/friendly . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Angry/hostile . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Worried/anxious . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Enjoying myself . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Tired . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
If you have more episodes to rate, please ask the attendant for
additional forms.
to Packet 4.
Packet 4
A Few More Questions about Yesterday
Now that you have told us about your day in detail, we have a few more general
questions.
Now we would like to know overall how you felt and what your mood was
like yesterday. Thinking only about yesterday, what percentage of the time
were you
in a bad mood ____%
Sum 100%
Now wed like to know how typical yesterday was for that day of the week (i.e.,
for a Monday, for a Tuesday, or so on). Compared to what that day of the week
usually is like, yesterday was (please circle one)
Much Somewhat Pretty Somewhat Much

Worse Worse Typical Better Better
1 2 3 4 5
Now we would like to know overall how you felt and what your mood was
like at work yesterday. Thinking only about the time you spent at work
yesterday, what percentage of the time were you
in a bad mood ____%
Sum 100%
Now wed like to know how yesterday compares to a typical day at work.
Compared to a typical day at work, my time spent at work yesterday was (please
circle one)
Much Somewhat Pretty Somewhat Much

Worse Worse Typical Better Better
1 2 3 4 5
Your Job
Now we would like to learn more about your current job.
Do you work more than one job? Yes No
If you work more than one job, please answer these questions for your main job.
By main job we mean the one at which you usually work the most hours in a
typical week.
When did you begin to work for your current employer? ___/___ (month / year)
If you worked previously for this employer in a different position, when did your
present position start? ___/___ (month / year)
Within your organization, is your current position considered
__ a low-level position
__ a mid-level position
__ a high-level position
What type of organization do you work for?
__ Government
__ Private for profit company
__ Nonprofit organization (including tax exempt and charitable organizations)
__ Self employed
__ Working in the family business
What industry is this organization in? (check all that apply)
__ Agriculture, forestry and fishing

__ Mining, natural resources
__ Utilities
__ Construction
__ Manufacturing
__ Wholesale amd warehousing
__ Retail
__ Transportation
__ Information (e.g., newspapers, magazines, software)
__ Finance and insurance
__ Real estate and rental
__ Professional services (e.g., consulting, law, engineering or accounting
firms)
__ Administrative and support services
__ Education
__ Health care
__ Social services
__ Arts, entertainment and recreation
__ Accommodation (e.g., hotels)
__ Other services (e.g., automotive repair, cleaning, yard services)
__ Public administration
Counting all locations where your employer operates, what is the total number of
people who work for your employer?
__ 25 or less
__ between 25 and 100
__ 1000 or more
What kind of work do you do, that is, what your occupation? (For example:
plumber, typist, farmer)
________________________________________________________________
__
What are your usual activities or duties at this job? (For example: typing, keeping
account books, filing, selling cars, operating printing press, laying brick.)
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
In a typical week, how many hours do you work at your main job?
___ hours per week
Would you prefer to work more, less or about the same number of hours?
Less hours About the same More hours
On this job, are you a member of a labor union or of an employee association

similar to a union?
Yes No
Does your employer offer a health insurance plan for you?
Yes No
Does your employer offer a pension or retirement plan for you?
Yes No
Next, we would like to know how well the statements below
describe your situation at work.
Please rate each statement on the scale given. Please circle the number
to indicate how well the statement describes your work situation.
Does this statement describe your situation at work?
Definitely Mostly Mostly Definitely

Statement Not Not Yes Yes
It takes specialized education 1 2 3 4

or training to do my job
My employer provides all of 1 2 3 4

the resources needed to do
my job well
Giving advice to other 1 2 3 4

workers is part of my job
There are opportunities to make 1 2 3 4

decisions that help clients/
customers/students/patients
People in my position are at 1 2 3 4

risk of being fired or laid off
Frequent interactions with 1 2 3 4

co-workers is an important
part of my job
There are many opportunities 1 2 3 4

to show initiative
Under constant and 1 2 3 4

close supervision

Supervise others 1 2 3 4
Can chat with other workers 1 2 3 4

while on job
Can plan my own activities 1 2 3 4
Telecommute/work at home 1 2 3 4
Flexible hours 1 2 3 4
Can be required to work 1 2 3 4

overtime
Work night shifts 1 2 3 4
Work different shifts from day 1 2 3 4

to day or week to week
Breaks are infrequent and short 1 2 3 4
There is time pressure; constant 1 2 3 4

pressure to work fast
Have to travel frequently 1 2 3 4
Have to do pretty much the 1 2 3 4

same thing all day

Involves a significant 1 2 3 4
risk of injury
Requires constant attention 1 2 3 4

to avoid mistakes
Small mistakes can have 1 2 3 4

serious consequences
Have direct interactions with 1 2 3 4

unhappy clients/customers/
students/patients
Exposed to offensive noise 1 2 3 4
Exposed to dust, dirt, 1 2 3 4

bad smells
Exposed to the weather 1 2 3 4
Have to stand on my 1 2 3 4
feet most of the time
Work is physically demanding, 1 2 3 4

requires muscle
Excellent benefits 1 2 3 4
I am overqualified for the job 1 2 3 4

I do
How does your current job compare to the job you had a year ago?
__ Better than a year ago

__ About the same as a year ago
__ Worse than a year ago
How easy would it be for you to find another job that is at least as attractive as
your main job? (please circle a number)
Very Very
Difficult easy
0 1 2 3 4 5 6
For your job, what is the easiest way for you to report your total earnings before
taxes or other deductions?
__ Hourly
__ Weekly
__ Biweekly (every two weeks)
__ Twice monthly
__ Monthly
__ Annually
__ Other (specify) ___________
Including overtime pay, tips and commissions, and before taxes or other
deductions, what are your usual earnings for the period of time you indicated in
the previous question?
_________
How Do Others See You?
In this section, we would like to learn how others see you.
What would the people who know you say about you? For each of the following,
please indicate where they would place you on the scale below.
On this scale, a -3 means that this is much less characteristic of you than
of other people. A 0 means that others would see you as about average. A
+3 means it is much more characteristic of you than of others. Please
circle the number between -3 and +3 that best describes what others
would say about you.
Much less About Much more

than others average than others
enthusiastic -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
optimistic -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
laughs easily -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
always sees the bright side -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
comfortable everywhere -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
enjoys good food -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
enjoys being in company -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
pessimistic -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
often worries for nothing -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
a bit depressed -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
often angry -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
tense and uncomfortable -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3

During the past month, how would you rate your overall sleep quality?
__very good __ fairly good __ fairly bad __very bad
During the past month, on average how many hours of actual sleep did you get
at night?
Average hours of sleep per night __________
Last night, how many hours of actual sleep did you get?
Hours of sleep last night __________
During the past month, how often have you had trouble staying awake while
driving, eating meals, or engaging in social activity?
__ not during the past month

__ less than once a week/
__ once or twice a week
__ three or more times a week
During the past month, how much of a problem has it been for you to keep up
enough enthusiasm to get things done?
__ no problem at all
__ only a very slight problem
__ somewhat of a problem
__ a very big problem
How satisfied are you with your health these days? Are you
__ very satisfied __ satisfied __ not very satisfied __ not at all satisfied
How important are religious activities in your life?
__ very important __ fairly important __ slightly important __ not at all

important
You have now completed the survey. Please

review each packet to be sure you have answered
all the questions. Thank you very much for
participating.
After you have checked your answers, put all of

the numbered packets (except the diary if you wish
to keep it) in the large envelope. Then take your
large envelope to the coordinator at the back of the
room. Please be as quiet as possible, since others
are still working.

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DRM Documentation - 1

The Day Reconstruction Method (DRM):

Reconstruction Method (DRM) is designed to collect data describing the experiences a

person has on a given day, through a systematic reconstruction conducted on the

Key advantages of the DRM include:

Joint assessment of activities and subjective experiences

Information about the duration of each experience, allowing for duration

weighted analyses of experiences

Lower respondent burden than typical for experience sampling methods

Lower susceptibility to retrospective reporting biases than typical for global

reports of daily experiences

self-administered questionnaire. A respondent first reinstantiates the previous day into

working memory by producing a short diary consisting of a sequence of episodes. This

instrument is documented as Packet 2. Its format draws on insights from cognitive

autobiographical memory through multiple pathways. Its episodic reinstantiation format

Next, respondents receive a response form (documented as Packet 3) and are

encouraged to draw on their confidential diary notes to answer a series of questions.

response form is returned to the researcher for analysis.

In addition, respondents answer a number of questions about themselves and the

circumstances of their lives (e.g., demographics, job characteristics, personality

reported in Kahneman et al. (2004).

open the next envelope until the previous material is completed.

calendar: Potential improvements in the quality of retrospective reports in surveys,

Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research Press.

Method (DRM). Manuscript under review.

accessibility model of emotional self-reports. Psychological Bulletin, 128, 934-960.

Schwarz, N., & Oyserman, D. (2001). Asking questions about behavior:

Cognition, communication and questionnaire construction. American Journal of

Evaluation, 22, 127-160.

retrospective reports. (Springer Verlag: New York, NY, 1997).

Stone, A. A., Shiffman, S. S., DeVries, M. W. (1999). Ecological momentary

assessment. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, N. Schwarz (eds.), Well-being: The

foundations of hedonic psychology (pp. 61-84). New York: Russell-Sage.

__ very satisfied, __ satisfied, __ not very satisfied, __ not at all satisfied?

__ very satisfied, __ satisfied, __ not very satisfied, __ not at all satisfied?

__ very satisfied, __ satisfied, __ not very satisfied, __ not at all satisfied?

in a bad mood ____%

a little low or irritable ____%

in a mildly pleasant mood ____%

in a very good mood ____%

in a bad mood ____%

a little low or irritable ____%

in a mildly pleasant mood ____%

in a very good mood ____%

1. What year were you born? _______

2. What is your gender? __ Male __ Female

3. What is the highest level of education you have completed?

4. What is your marital status?

__ single (never married) __ married __ divorced/separated __ widowed

5. How many children do you have? ______

7. Including yourself, how many people live in your household? _____

8. Which of the following categories best describes you?

9. What is your total annual household income?

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

About what time did you wake up yesterday? __________

And when did you go to sleep? ___________

(from waking up until just before lunch)

Time it Time it Notes to yourself: What

___________ _____ ______ ______________________________

very satisfied, satisfied, not very satisfied, not at all satisfied?

very satisfied, satisfied, not very satisfied, not at all satisfied?

very satisfied, satisfied, not very satisfied, not at all satisfied?

2. What is your gender? Male Female

single (never married) married divorced/separated widowed

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_Lunchtime_ _ ____________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________________

_Dinnertime_ _ ____________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________

_________ _ __________________________________