Predicting video-conferencing conversation outcomes based on modeling facial expression synchronization

Effective video-conferencing conversations are heavily influenced by each speaker's facial expression. In this study, we propose a novel probabilistic model to represent interactional synchrony of conversation partners' facial expressions in video-conferencing communication. In particular, we use a hidden Markov model (HMM) to capture temporal properties of each speaker's facial expression sequence. Based on the assumption of mutual influence between conversation partners, we couple their HMMs as two interacting processes. Furthermore, we summarize the multiple coupled HMMs with a stochastic process prior to discover a set of facial synchronization templates shared among the multiple conversation pairs. We validate the model, by utilizing the exhibition of these facial synchronization templates to predict the outcomes of video-conferencing conversations. The dataset includes 75 video-conferencing conversations from 150 Amazon Mechanical Turkers in the context of a new recruit negotiation. The results show that our proposed model achieves higher accuracy in predicting negotiation winners than support vector machine and canonical HMMs. Further analysis indicates that some synchronized nonverbal templates contribute more in predicting the negotiation outcomes

Temporal interaction patterns in negotiations

This dissertation focuses on temporal interaction patterns in negotiations that have previously been neglected and examines their impact on the subsequent interaction and on the negotiated outcome. Although negotiations are defined as social interactions, there is still relatively little understanding of the observable interaction patterns that actually develop in negotiations. It requires time-consuming coding efforts and interaction patterns are challenging to analyze. However, studying negotiation behavior from an interaction-based perspective is crucial, as behavioral antecedents can be significantly more important in the prediction of subsequent behaviors in an interaction process than interindividual difference and contextual variables. Therefore, the studies presented in this dissertation contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of temporal interaction patterns in negotiation. Specifically, we study the occurrence of active listening (patterns) and their effect on negotiation outcomes, behavioral antecedents and consequences of (dis-)honest behavior, and effects of behavior announcement patterns on negotiation outcomes. The results of these studies contribute to negotiation theory but are also of high practical value. We provide concrete and readily applicable advice on the use of active listening, on the use and promotion of honest behavior and the inhibition of dishonest behavior that should improve practitioners’ negotiation interactions and outcomes

Temporal interaction patterns in negotiations

This dissertation focuses on temporal interaction patterns in negotiations that have previously been neglected and examines their impact on the subsequent interaction and on the negotiated outcome. Although negotiations are defined as social interactions, there is still relatively little understanding of the observable interaction patterns that actually develop in negotiations. It requires time-consuming coding efforts and interaction patterns are challenging to analyze. However, studying negotiation behavior from an interaction-based perspective is crucial, as behavioral antecedents can be significantly more important in the prediction of subsequent behaviors in an interaction process than interindividual difference and contextual variables. Therefore, the studies presented in this dissertation contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of temporal interaction patterns in negotiation. Specifically, we study the occurrence of active listening (patterns) and their effect on negotiation outcomes, behavioral antecedents and consequences of (dis-)honest behavior, and effects of behavior announcement patterns on negotiation outcomes. The results of these studies contribute to negotiation theory but are also of high practical value. We provide concrete and readily applicable advice on the use of active listening, on the use and promotion of honest behavior and the inhibition of dishonest behavior that should improve practitioners’ negotiation interactions and outcomes