This project focuses on mobile persuasion (as distinct from deception) technologies, an area in which very little research has been conducted to date. The PI believes there may be several key differences when compared to other persuasive technologies that make mobile technologies particularly apt for use as persuasive tools in many situations, and that in particular mobile phones may be especially powerful persuasive devices, due to the "always-on, always with you" culture of mobile phones, and to the personal and private nature people ascribe to phones in general. The PI has begun prototyping a research platform for mobile phones that can be used to test the effectiveness of mobile persuasive techniques in a systematic and quantifiable manner. This funding will allow the PI to complete development of his platform, and to conduct initial experiments to investigate how mobile phones can be used to change people's beliefs and behaviors. The PI's goal is to obtain results that can be generalized to other mobile devices. The knowledge gained from these experiments has the potential to benefit the billions of people worldwide who use mobile phones, and in particular it may provide a basis for structuring programs to positively change these people's attitudes and behaviors.
Broader Impacts: Insights from this project will enhance the development and use of mobile devices, as well as providing general knowledge concerning learning, training, motivation, and persuasion, both in theory and practice. The PI will create materials to share these insights with the research community.
