Increasing Engagement in eHealth Interventions Using Personalization and Implementation Intentions; Data Laws: Regulating the Not-So-Private Private Sector

How are data collection methods redefining optional? The difference between a user browsing the web and a participant in an online mental health study is legal consent.

The MindTrails Calm Thinking project aims to improve access to mental health care through an accessible online platform that applies cognitive bias modification for interpretation interventions. Modules reframe the thinking patterns of highly anxious individuals when they respond to stressors. To diminish the high attrition rate, the team designed a prototype for a new mobile interface that engages users with a journal to record implementation intentions and goals. Users can choose a domain of anxiety for the session. With a user-centered mobile interface, we hypothesize that the Calm Thinking mobile application will connect users with an evidence-based mental health intervention and improve the program.

How are social groups competing to shape the legal standard governing online data protection? Insecure internet connections compromise privacy, exposing individuals to legal and illegal data collection. U.S. legal protections for personal data security are much weaker than the EU’s. In the U.S., data collectors lobby lawmakers to protect their easy access to user data, while privacy advocacies strive for better protections.

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Bachelor of Science in Department of Engineering Systems and Environment
Technical Advisor: Laura Barnes
STS Advisor: Peter Norton
Technical Team Members: Darby Anderson, Amanda Brownlee, Camryn Burley, Georgie Lafer, Taylor Luong, Meaghan McGowan, William Trotter, Halle Wine