The brain in the wild: Tracking human behavior in naturalistic settings

This chapter reviews current development for tracking "the brain in the Wild" and explains how the examined older life gains from this technology in terms of healthy brain aging, independence, and quality of life. Experience Sampling Method (ESM) provides data on frequency, patterns and intensity of daily activity, social interaction, and movement; psychological and conative dimensions, and thoughts, including quality and intensity of thought disturbance. This approach can be applied in normal and clinical populations and is germane to studying the experience of aging. There can be many fruitful applications of networked sensors in normal and in cognitively impaired individuals that are directly relevant to the aging mind and brain. Use of classic ethology combined with novel methods of measurement expands what is already known about the aging brain in ways that are likely to benefit society through increased understanding of changes to daily life that occur during aging.