We meet once a month, every first Wednesday at 9 a.m. online, for our ESM/EMA research community. Each session features a presentation by one member on their research related to cognition in daily life using EMA/ESM methods, followed by an open discussion. After the talk, we spend time sharing and brainstorming new projects and ideas.

Everyone is welcome! If you would like to participate, simply contact us at esmcc@uni-oldenburg.de.

Our community regularly organises workshops on different topics related to EMA/ESM and cognition. These workshops provide a platform for exchanging ideas, sharing methods, and exploring challenges in real-world cognitive assessment. Reports and summaries from past workshops, including our one-day workshop in Leer, are available here: [link to workshop reports].

Workshops are an excellent opportunity to engage with interdisciplinary perspectives and to contribute to ongoing collaborative projects.

During a "Paper in a Day" hackathon session, around 15 participants from various career stages collaboratively authored a commentary titled:

"Capturing Momentary Cognitive Functioning in Daily Life: The Promises and Pitfalls of Ecological Momentary Assessment."

The paper highlights key challenges and pitfalls in EMA/ESM research while showcasing the potential of these approaches for understanding cognition in real-world settings. The commentary has now been submitted for publication and represents a joint effort of our interdisciplinary network.

Our team is currently working on a review project focused on assessing cognition with ESM. This effort brings together a small project team to synthesise current methods, identify methodological gaps, and provide guidance for future studies. The review aims to offer a comprehensive overview for researchers interested in capturing cognitive processes in everyday life.

We are hosting a Special Collection on ambulatory assessment in cognition, titled:

"Cognition in the Wild: Advancements in Ecological Momentary Assessments."

This collection welcomes submissions exploring experience sampling methods (ESM), ecological momentary assessment (EMA), and wearable technologies. Ambulatory assessment allows researchers to capture cognitive processes as they naturally unfold, providing richer and more ecologically valid insights than traditional laboratory methods.

We encourage contributions covering:

• Methodological Advancements - Innovations in ESM/EMA and wearable technology applications for cognitive research, including best practices for data collection and analysis.
• Cognition Across Contexts - Effects of environmental, social, and emotional factors on cognition; context-aware assessments.
• Population-Specific Applications - Studies in children, older adults, and clinical populations.
• Wearables and Sensor Integration - Continuous monitoring of cognitive and physiological data; multi-source data fusion.
• Longitudinal Studies - Capturing fluctuations and trajectories of cognition over time; novel analytic approaches.
• Real-World Cognitive Interventions - Mobile and just-in-time interventions informed by ambulatory cognitive assessment.
• Ethical and Practical Challenges - Privacy, adherence, and minimising participant burden.
• Case Studies and Cross-Disciplinary Perspectives - Lessons from applied projects and integration with behavioural, neuropsychological, or health sciences.
• AI and Data Fusion - Using AI to analyze large-scale ambulatory cognitive datasets and combine multiple sources of information.

Submission Open
Deadline: May 8, 2026

This Special Collection aims to advance understanding of cognition in real-world settings, foster innovation, and support collaboration across disciplines.