A Web-Based System from Data Collection and Community Building

Abstract

Your Psyche is a new web-based data collection system. This system was developed to take advantage of modern Internet technologies to create an engaging and rewarding experience for participants. Key to this effort is the development of a sophisticated and powerful feedback system that allows participants to see and understand the results of studies they have participated in. This feedback system not only allows participants to see how their results compare those of other participants, but also to see how the variables in the study relate to each other. The feedback system also allows participants to select specific comparison demographics: for example, a young female participant can see how her scores compare to those of other young females. Preliminary evidence is encouraging, but also suggests that participants are sometimes overwhelmed and confused by the sophistication of the feedback system. Additional work and innovation are needed to develop ways to present complex information in straightforward ways that lay persons can understand.