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  4. Intervene Behavioral Health Conditions with Minimal Effort: Development and Translation of Sensory Interventions

Intervene Behavioral Health Conditions with Minimal Effort: Development and Translation of Sensory Interventions

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File(s)
Zhao_cornellgrad_0058F_15229.pdf (18.62 MB)
No Access Until
2027-09-09
Permanent Link(s)
https://doi.org/10.7298/6jxr-md88
https://hdl.handle.net/1813/120848
Collections
Cornell Theses and Dissertations
Author
Zhao, Yiran
Abstract

Sensory intervention is an emerging type of digital intervention pioneered by the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and the Ubiquitous Computing Community (UbiComp). Despite the proliferation of digital and mobile behavioral health applications, the real-world impact of these interventions remains limited. Users often fail to engage with these interventions during distress when support is most needed. Sensory interventions address this challenge by achieving effectiveness with minimal effort. Across four studies, this dissertation examines the end-to-end translational pipeline for sensory interventions. It begins by examining the translation process of offset heart rate biofeedback, showcasing two studies that bridge an in-laboratory proof-of-concept to a closed-loop intervention system evaluated in the wild. Then, it returns to the initial stage of intervention development, applying the lessons learned during the translation pipeline to inform in-lab studies. Together, this dissertation offers both conceptual and technical advances sensory interventions. It synthesizes three key evaluation aspects, specific efficacy, mechanism, and system design implications, for sensory intervention researchers to investigate using their existing methodology. It showcases how anchoring research on these three aspects can support translation and expanding the impact of sensory interventions. In doing so, this dissertation envisions a future in which behavioral health support is seamlessly integrated into everyday life, empowering individuals with timely, unobtrusive, and effective tools in difficult times.

Description
214 pages
Date Issued
2025-08
Keywords
Alcohol Craving
•
Anxiety
•
Digital Health
•
Human-Computer Interaction
•
Sensory Intervention
•
Ubiquitous Computing
Committee Chair
Choudhury, Tanzeem
Committee Member
Sagha Zadeh, Rana
Yang, Qian
Degree Discipline
Information Science
Degree Name
Ph. D., Information Science
Degree Level
Doctor of Philosophy
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Type
dissertation or thesis

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