Table 4.

Summary of recommendations for future research using intensive assessment methods to study social comparison.

Category	Considerations	Recommendations	Where is additional work needed
Conceptual definition of social comparison	How will social comparison be defined? - Will comparisons “count” if they are not subjectively associated with a psychological response?	Defining social comparison more broadly (vs. associated with psychological responses); however, this depends on the research question	To determine the extent to which different definitions of comparison lead to different reporting patterns
	How will participants be taught to recognize comparisons in their daily lives?	Interactive instruction in how to recognize comparisons may reduce heterogeneity in identification and reporting; normalizing comparison may reduce hesitation to report	To determine whether giving instructions in a group setting affects reporting
	Will instructions be given individually or in a group?	- The instruction process should be described in detail in published reports
Sample characteristics	What is the rationale for studying social comparison in a given population, and how narrowly should the population be defined?	Rationale should be clear from the outset and should be described in published reports	To understand comparisons other than those based on appearance among young women and all types of social comparison in more diverse samples
	What type(s) of comparison will be assessed and why?		Specifically, to understand social comparison (across dimensions) in the following groups: - Adults over the age of 25 - Men and trans/non-binary individuals (particularly regarding appearance comparison) - Individuals with chronic illness/health conditions - Those interested in behavior change (to elucidate how comparisons function in the behavior change process)
Recording and data collection parameters	What type of recording method will be used (signal-, interval-, or event-contingent)? What is the recording modality (paper, smartphone app, web link)?	Base these on:-What is known and/or proposed about the likely frequency of the type(s) of comparison of interest (evidence and theory) - Maximizing reach, ease, and accuracy while minimizing participant burden - Pilot work with the population of interest	To determine whether different types and frequencies of recording lead to differing response patterns
	How many total days of recording? Are the days consecutive or does the period include breaks? How many times per day will participant record (signal- and interval-contingent)? Will the number of times per day be consistent across days, or will it change?	Specific to the population of interest, select the recording frequency that would maximize accuracy and power for planned analyses while minimizing aggregation/recall bias and participant burden; rationale should be described in published reports- If possible, build in assessment of reactivity	To determine the extent of reactivity to recording social comparisons and related experiences (e.g., consequent affect)
Features assessed	Which features are critical to answering the research question?	Assess target gender and relation to participant	To investigate the influence of: - Mode (particularly social media) - Reason for making a comparison or selecting a particular target - Perceived utility of a comparison - Real vs. imaginary targets - Deliberate vs. automatic comparison - Identification/contrast processes
	Which features are likely to moderate or place boundaries on the primary effects in question?	Assess perceived direction and degree of similarity separately
		Assess identification and contrast directly (rather than inferring from affective response)—additional work is needed here
		Unless the research question is specific to a particular dimension, allow for a wide range and assess with high granularity (e.g., “appearance” could mean weight, shape, overall fitness/physique, facial attractiveness, etc.)
Predictors and outcomes of social comparison	Is the research question(s) about the comparison process or the effect of comparisons on another variable (or both)?	Base this on a broad understanding of social comparison processes, rather than knowledge of comparison in a single domain	To examine: - Within-person variability in the frequency of comparison - Temporal patterns of comparison occurrence - Effect of comparisons on objectively assessed behavior
		Most commonly assessed predictors are between-person (e.g., self-esteem, body satisfaction, gender)
		Most commonly assessed outcomes are affective response, body satisfaction, thoughts about or reports of eating/dieting/exercising (within-person)
		Report on variability at the between- and within-person levels and specify which is being reported