112 research outputs found

    Real-time affect detection in virtual reality: a technique based on a three-dimensional model of affect and EEG signals

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    This manuscript explores the development of a technique for detecting the affective states of Virtual Reality (VR) users in real-time. The technique was tested with data from an experiment where 18 participants observed 16 videos with emotional content inside a VR home theater, while their electroencephalography (EEG) signals were recorded. Participants evaluated their affective response toward the videos in terms of a three-dimensional model of affect. Two variants of the technique were analyzed. The difference between both variants was the method used for feature selection. In the first variant, features extracted from the EEG signals were selected using Linear Mixed-Effects (LME) models. In the second variant, features were selected using Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross Validation (RFECV). Random forest was used in both variants to build the classification models. Accuracy, precision, recall and F1 scores were obtained by cross-validation. An ANOVA was conducted to compare the accuracy of the models built in each variant. The results indicate that the feature selection method does not have a significant effect on the accuracy of the classification models. Therefore, both variations (LME and RFECV) seem equally reliable for detecting affective states of VR users. The mean accuracy of the classification models was between 87% and 93%

    RCEA-360VR: Real-time, continuous emotion annotation in 360◦ VR videos for collecting precise viewport-dependent ground truth labels

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    Precise emotion ground truth labels for 360◦ virtual reality (VR) video watching are essential for fne-grained predictions under varying viewing behavior. However, current annotation techniques either rely on post-stimulus discrete self-reports, or real-time, con- tinuous emotion annotations (RCEA) but only for desktop/mobile settings. We present RCEA for 360◦ VR videos (RCEA-360VR), where we evaluate in a controlled study (N=32) the usability of two peripheral visualization techniques: HaloLight and DotSize. We furthermore develop a method that considers head movements when fusing labels. Using physiological, behavioral, and subjective measures, we show that (1) both techniques do not increase users’ workload, sickness, nor break presence (2) our continuous valence and arousal annotations are consistent with discrete within-VR and original stimuli ratings (3) users exhibit high similarity in viewing behavior, where fused ratings perfectly align with intended labels. Our work contributes usable and efective techniques for collecting fne-grained viewport-dependent emotion labels in 360◦ VR

    The Affective Evaluation of Immersive Soundscapes Including Physiological Measures

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    This thesis is focussed on evaluating affective and physiological responses to soundscape stimuli, building towards understanding the importance of ecological validity on ex-situ soundscape evaluation. The primary focus of soundscape research is the subjective evaluation of environmental sound, furthering our understanding of our relationship with our acoustic environment. Although relationships between cognitive and physical measures of soundscape quality have been explored in the literature, there is a lack of research that has focussed on the relationship between physiological and subjective responses. Two of the experiments presented in this thesis focus on developing a methodology for identifying if changes in physiological behaviour can be used to identify changes in the subjective experience of soundscapes. Results of the first experiment indicate that using more accurate heart rate measurement methods may be necessary to identify the effects of soundscape stimuli on modulation of the autonomic nervous system. The results of a second experiment provide evidence that heart rate variability does not vary in a systematic manner with changes in the subjective experience of soundscape stimuli. It is hypothesized that a lack of presence and immersion in the experimental environment contribute to these results. The results of a third experiment show that control over listener orientation does not influence the subjective experience of soundscape stimuli. Finally, a set of software tools are described which facilitate the design of soundscape evaluation experiments that utilise virtual reality, offering a greater sense of presence and immersion than those provided in a typical listening test. Future work will test this toolset and attempt to validate its use for the ex-situ evaluation of soundscapes

    Aspectos motivacionais no design de tecnologia para mudanças sociais

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    Orientador: Maria Cecília Calani BaranauskasTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de ComputaçãoResumo: Conectando pessoas e presente em todos os aspectos da vida, quando projetadas para este fim, as tecnologias têm potencial de influenciar a forma com que pessoas em um grupo social percebem e se relacionam com as coisas no ambiente. Este estudo de doutorado em Interação Humano-Computador (IHC) investiga como elementos motivacionais da Psicologia podem ser aplicados para informar o design, explo- rando esse potencial da tecnologia em promover mudanças sociais. O estudo é instanciado no domínio de consumo de energia elétrica, lidando com o desafio contemporâneo de cons- cientizar a sociedade dos limites naturais do planeta no que diz respeito ao uso de recursos naturais. Informar o design com aspectos motivacionais é uma abordagem recente em IHC. Quando encontrada na literatura, comumente tem foco em aspectos individuais e intrín- secos da motivação. Contudo, como argumentado nessa pesquisa, o contexto sociocultural evidencia a importância de considerar também os fatores externos que motivam as pessoas a se engajarem com uma tecnologia e com uma determinada questão social. Por considerar tanto fontes intrínsecas quanto extrínsecas de motivação, a Teoria da Autodeterminação é então considerada o principal referencial teórico da Psicologia nessa investigação, e a Semiótica Organizacional é a base metodológica para analisar os elemen- tos socioculturais que influenciam a motivação extrínseca. A análise situada dos dados socioculturais por uma perspectiva motivacional levou ao design da Tecnologia Socialmente Informada para Eco-Feedback de Energia (sigla SEET, em inglês), uma arquitetura que tem por objetivo estabelecer um novo padrão de com- portamento, ou uma nova maneira de perceber o consumo de energia coletivamente. O SEET é composto por um sistema interativo que promove colaboração, e pela Árvore da Energia, um dispositivo de feedback tangível para locais onde há encontro de pessoas. O SEET é avaliado em dois cenários complementares: uma Escola de Ensino Funda- mental no Brasil, onde os dados socioculturais foram coletados, analisados e aplicados para informar o design; e no contexto de um departamento de uma universidade no Reino Unido. Aspectos motivacionais da arquitetura do SEET são então analisadas, assim como o impacto dessa tecnologia ao desencadear as esperadas mudanças sociaisAbstract: By connecting people and being present in almost all aspects of life, when properly de- signed for that, technology can potentially influence the way people in a social group perceive and relate with things in their environment. This PhD study in the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) field investigates how motivational elements from Psychology can be applied to inform the design aiming at exploring this potential of technology for promoting a social change. The study is in- stantiated in the energy consumption domain, coping with the contemporary challenge of raising awareness among the society of the planet¿s natural resources usage and limits. Informing the design with motivational aspects is a recent approach in HCI. When found in literature, it is mostly focused on individual and intrinsic aspects of motivation. However, as argued in this research, the sociocultural context evidences the importance of considering also the external factors that motivate people to be engaged with technology and the social issue. By taking into account both intrinsic and extrinsic sources of motivation, the Self- Determination Theory is then considered the main theoretical background from Psychol- ogy in this investigation, and the Organisational Semiotics the methodological basis to analyse sociocultural elements that influence extrinsic motivation. The situated analysis of sociocultural data with motivational lenses has led to the de- sign of a Socially-informed Energy Eco-feedback Technology (SEET), an architecture that aims at establishing a "new pattern of behaviour", or a new way of perceiving collective energy consumption. The SEET is composed by an interactive system that promotes collaboration and The Energy Tree, a tangible and public feedback device for gathering places. The SEET is evaluated in two complementary scenarios: an elementary school in Brazil, where the sociocultural data was collected, analysed and applied to inform design; and in the context of an university department in the United Kingdom. Motivational as- pects of the SEET architecture are then analysed, as well as the impact of this technology to trigger the desired social changeDoutoradoCiência da ComputaçãoDoutora em Ciência da Computaçã

    A Multidisciplinary Approach to Predicting Aggression in Children, Adolescents, and Adults: Exploring the Role of Cardiovascular Psychophysiology, Neuropsychology, and Psychopathy

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    This thesis explored the function of biological, personality, and cognitive factors as predictors of violence and aggression in children, adolescents, and adults. Chapter 2 sought to understand biopsychosocial profiles of aggressive groups of children (N = 110). Children who engaged in more severe forms of aggressive behavior were highest in psychopathic traits, and most distinct from other aggressive and nonaggressive children on biological indices of prefrontal functioning. This group of children displayed fewer executive functioning deficits compared to other aggressive children, which may explain their ability to implement planned aggression. Chapter 3 included 60 adolescents from Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties (EBD) schools and 62 adolescents from a stratified community school sample (N = 696). The aim was to test the association between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and fearlessness using cardiovascular measures of sympathetic (pre-ejection period) and parasympathetic reactivity (respiratory sinus arrhythmia) during fear induction, and self-report measures of fear. Adolescents high in CU traits, from both samples, exhibited high levels of conduct problems and aggression. No group differences emerged on self-report of fear, but the high CU group did display a unique autonomic profile when experiencing fear. This pattern of biological reactivity, a coactivation of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity, may suggest adolescents high in CU traits are better able to manage fearful situations by remaining physiologically calm yet alert. This may explain why individuals with CU traits have been previously characterized as fearless. Chapter 4 included 182 female offenders, and aimed to predict misconducts over 9-months. Callous and antisocial psychopathic traits best predicted violence, while impulsivity and antisocial psychopathic traits predicted nonviolent misconducts. The key findings across all chapters show psychopathic traits, regardless of age and population type (forensic, clinical, and community), were related to high levels of aggressive and antisocial behavior, and a host of biological and cognitive differences

    The Credibility of Simulation-Based Environments: User Judgments of Verisimilitude

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    Few studies have investigated the credibility of computer simulations, from the user’s perspective. This thesis tackles the credibility question, construed as inextricably linked to the judgments of actors who deal with simulations. The theoretical part of this work consists in a typology of credibility-related judgments pertaining to various media . This analysis leads to the development of a judgment construct applying specifically to interactive simulation, and based on the notion of verisimilitude, the quality of appearing true or real. The empirical part is an exploratory study that investigated the perceptions of potential users of a simulation-based learning environment (the VPLab). This study aimed to show the pertinence of verisimilitude in examining credibility discourse, and to explore themes for future research. Its specific objectives were to uncover: (1) users’ preoccupations and representations relating to the VPLab’s verisimilitude, (2) the cues enabling users to make judgments about the VPLab, and (3) the roles played by such cues in the expression of judgments. Following a qualitative and descriptive approach, the investigation included in-depth interviews with thirteen university science students. As part of the results, several varied research themes were developed and the complex nature of user verisimilitude judgments was highlighted. Furthermore, connections appeared between these judgments and individual traits of users, such as prior use of certain computer applications. The influence of various aspects of the environment on its verisimilitude was also considered. ----- [Version française] ---->>>> Peu d’ouvrages traitent de la crédibilité des simulations informatiques, du point de vue de leurs utilisateurs. Ce mémoire examine cette question sous l’angle des jugements de divers acteurs concernés par ces technologies. Son volet théorique définit une typologie de jugements associés à la crédibilité de divers media et propose un concept de jugement propre aux simulations interactives, fondé sur la notion de vraisemblance. Son volet empirique consiste en une étude exploratoire des perceptions des utilisateurs potentiels d’un environnement d’apprentissage fondé sur la simulation (le laboratoire virtuel de physique). Cette étude visait à démontrer la pertinence du concept de jugement de vraisemblance dans l’analyse de discours traitant de crédibilité, et à explorer des pistes de recherche future dans ce domaine. Les objectifs spécifiques de l’étude étaient de mettre au jour (1) les préoccupations et représentations des utilisateurs à l’égard de la vraisemblance de l’environnement, (2) les repères sur lesquels ils s’appuient pour poser des jugements et (3) les rôles que jouent ces repères dans ceux-ci. L’approche qualitative et descriptive retenue s’appuyait principalement sur des entrevues en profondeur auprès de treize étudiants universitaires. L’étude a permis d’explorer de nombreux thèmes de recherche inédits; ses résultats ont mis en relief le caractère complexe des jugements et fait apparaître des relations entre ces derniers et des caractéristiques des utilisateurs, telles que leurs antécédents en matière d’usage d’applications informatiques. L’influence de divers éléments ou caractéristiques de l’environnement sur les jugements a également été examinée

    Enhanced Living Environments

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    This open access book was prepared as a Final Publication of the COST Action IC1303 “Algorithms, Architectures and Platforms for Enhanced Living Environments (AAPELE)”. The concept of Enhanced Living Environments (ELE) refers to the area of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) that is more related with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Effective ELE solutions require appropriate ICT algorithms, architectures, platforms, and systems, having in view the advance of science and technology in this area and the development of new and innovative solutions that can provide improvements in the quality of life for people in their homes and can reduce the financial burden on the budgets of the healthcare providers. The aim of this book is to become a state-of-the-art reference, discussing progress made, as well as prompting future directions on theories, practices, standards, and strategies related to the ELE area. The book contains 12 chapters and can serve as a valuable reference for undergraduate students, post-graduate students, educators, faculty members, researchers, engineers, medical doctors, healthcare organizations, insurance companies, and research strategists working in this area

    The Presentation of Images: Effects on the Viewer’s Reaction

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    Background: Perceiving an image evokes a variety of reactions in the viewer. However, not only what is recognized in an image influences the perceiver, but also how an image is presented impacts the reaction to the image. To contribute to the understanding of the relationship between an image’s presentation and how this affects the reaction to it, is the aim of this doctoral thesis. To do so, over the course of three studies presented in the form of three manuscripts, we investigated the effect of a basic image feature (color saturation), the context in which an image is perceived, as well as the effect of image type (whether the image is presented as a photograph or a graphic representation) on the responses to an image. Methods: In each manuscript, we followed a similar path of investigation: We manipulated a particular aspect of how an image is presented and examined the effects of that specific factor on the viewer’s response to the image. In each of the manuscripts presented here, we collected data on different responses to images: from directly measurable dimensions such as naming duration and correct naming, to liking, to more complex aesthetic responses, and to emotions perceived in an image. The design of each study was individualized to properly answer the research question. Results: The results presented in the three manuscripts show that the color saturation—a basic image feature—and the context in which an image is presented influence responses to an image. More specifically, manipulated color saturation affects the liking as well as specific aesthetic reactions to digitally reproduced paintings, but to a different extent for art experts and lay people. We also showed that the affective interpretation of art photographs seen in the context of other photographs is influenced by the valence of these other photographs. But not only neighboring images lead to a change in judgment; The evaluation dimension also affects the emotion perceived in an image. However, whether an image is presented as photograph or graphic representation does not influence naming performance, especially when both types of images include favorable image properties such as color, texture, and shading. Conclusion: The results presented in this thesis underline the importance of image presentation, as it influences reactions to images. This is also reflected in the practice of image making, where the focus is not only on the creation of the image itself, but likewise on its presentation. Moreover, our results show that not all the factors investigated and manipulated in our studies influence viewer responses in the way we expected. Similarly, in image practice, the designer often assumes—based on his or her expertise—that the viewer’s response can be implicitly predicted. However, the results of our studies show that this is not always the case. Therefore, there is a need to empirically investigate reactions to how an image is presented. Especially in visual communication, where an unambiguous message of the image is intended, the combination of practical image making and empirical investigations could be of added value
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