Avaliação do uso de diários eletrônicos para o estudo da acurácia empática em casais

This research presents and discusses relevant aspects of the use of electronic diaries as the main instrument of data gathering for empathic accuracy. 45 middle-class couples of Belo Horizonte, Brazil, participated in this study. Each member of the dyad used a microcomputer to fill a structured questionnaire, six times a day, for seven days. Before data gathering the participants were trained to use the computers and therefore filled a questionnaire to evaluate the data collected and to inform his/her general impressions of it. The structured questions of this last questionnaire were analyzed through descriptive statistics, and the discursive questions through content analyses. Results presented evidences of applicability and functionality of the procedures used. Some aspects are discussed to help reconsider the proposed methodology.