Computer audition for emotional wellbeing

This thesis is focused on the application of computer audition (i. e., machine listening) methodologies for monitoring states of emotional wellbeing. Computer audition is a growing field and has been successfully applied to an array of use cases in recent years. There are several advantages to audio-based computational analysis; for example, audio can be recorded non-invasively, stored economically, and can capture rich information on happenings in a given environment, e. g., human behaviour. With this in mind, maintaining emotional wellbeing is a challenge for humans and emotion-altering conditions, including stress and anxiety, have become increasingly common in recent years. Such conditions manifest in the body, inherently changing how we express ourselves. Research shows these alterations are perceivable within vocalisation, suggesting that speech-based audio monitoring may be valuable for developing artificially intelligent systems that target improved wellbeing. Furthermore, computer audition applies machine learning and other computational techniques to audio understanding, and so by combining computer audition with applications in the domain of computational paralinguistics and emotional wellbeing, this research concerns the broader field of empathy for Artificial Intelligence (AI). To this end, speech-based audio modelling that incorporates and understands paralinguistic wellbeing-related states may be a vital cornerstone for improving the degree of empathy that an artificial intelligence has. To summarise, this thesis investigates the extent to which speech-based computer audition methodologies can be utilised to understand human emotional wellbeing. A fundamental background on the fields in question as they pertain to emotional wellbeing is first presented, followed by an outline of the applied audio-based methodologies. Next, detail is provided for several machine learning experiments focused on emotional wellbeing applications, including analysis and recognition of under-researched phenomena in speech, e. g., anxiety, and markers of stress. Core contributions from this thesis include the collection of several related datasets, hybrid fusion strategies for an emotional gold standard, novel machine learning strategies for data interpretation, and an in-depth acoustic-based computational evaluation of several human states. All of these contributions focus on ascertaining the advantage of audio in the context of modelling emotional wellbeing. Given the sensitive nature of human wellbeing, the ethical implications involved with developing and applying such systems are discussed throughout

Musicoterapia com utentes com perturbação do espectro do autismo e paralisia cerebral

Relatório de estágio realizado no âmbito do mestrado em Musicoterapia, Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, 2022Exame público realizado em 27 de Janeiro de 2023A música como forma de comunicação, na sua generalidade, é inerente a qualquer condição física, emocional e psicológica do ser humano. Cada vez mais é necessária a inclusão e desenvolvimento da pessoa com deficiência, de maneira a apresentar respostas de forma eficiente às suas necessidades quotidianas, sejam relacionais, comunicativas ou sociais. Enquanto elo vinculativo, a música apresentou-se como intermediário comunicativo para a promoção do bem estar, desenvolvimento e preservação da condição do utente. No âmbito do mestrado em musicoterapia da Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, abordou-se neste trabalho o conceito de bem estar da pessoa com deficiência, através de sessões de Musicoterapia praticadas no Centro de Atividades e Capacitação para a Inclusão da CREACIL Oriente. O presente estágio foi realizado de outubro de 2021 a junho de 2022. De forma a avaliar o efeito da musicoterapia nos utentes, foi aplicada uma Grelha de Avaliação, com um momento inicial e um momento final, com base na escala de avaliação IMCAP-ND. Foi também preenchida uma ficha de Registo de Sessão no final de cada sessão individual e grupal. Os resultados obtidos demonstram nítidas melhorias nas áreas da comunicação, cognição e expressão pessoal dos utentes. Validam a utilização da Musicoterapia e a sua importância no desenvolvimento e bem estar pessoal.Music as a form of communication, in general, is inherent to any physical, emotional and psychological condition of the human being. It is increasingly necessary to include and develop people with disabilities, in order to efficiently respond to their daily needs, whether relational, communicative or social. As a binding link, music presented itself as a communicative intermediary for the promotion of well-being, development and preservation of the user's condition. Within the scope of the master's degree in music therapy at Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, the concept of well-being of people with disabilities was addressed in this work, through Music Therapy sessions practiced at the Activities and Training Center for Inclusion of CREACIL Oriente. This internship was carried out from October 2021 to June 2022. In order to assess the effect of music therapy on users, an Evaluation Grid was applied, with an initial and a final moment, based on the IMCAP-ND assessment scale. A Session Registration form was also completed at the end of each individual and group session. The results obtained demonstrate clear improvements in the areas of communication, cognition and personal expression of users. They validate the use of Music Therapy and its importance in personal development and well-being

Musicoterapia em intervenção precoce

Relatório de estágio realizado no âmbito do mestrado em Musicoterapia, Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, 2021.Exame público realizado em 4 de Março de 2022.O presente relatório visa uma reflexão acerca do trabalho de intervenção da Musicoterapia em contexto de Intervenção Precoce na ELI do Entroncamento, Constância e Vila Nova da Barquinha, constituindo assim o estágio curricular do Mestrado em Musicoterapia da Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa. A elaboração deste documento tem como objetivo principal compreender a importância e o valor da Musicoterapia na intervenção precoce, na intervenção com as famílias e respetivas crianças nos seus contextos naturais. Ao longo do estágio foram intervencionadas nove crianças, com diferentes diagnósticos, nomeadamente Perturbação do Espetro do Autismo; Perturbação de Hiperatividade e Défice de Atenção; Acidente Vascular Cerebral e Trissomia 21. Todos os participantes foram avaliados qualitativamente no início e no fim da intervenção através dos instrumentos de avaliação IMTAP e Escala de Comunicabilidade Musical de Nordoff-Robbins. Os resultados obtidos permitem-nos concluir que houve melhorias significativas na maioria dos domínios avaliados, sendo possível verificar que a presença da musicoterapia nestas equipas desempenha um papel importante no desenvolvimento das crianças acompanhadas, e que a abordagem utilizada durante as sessões é eficaz.The present work reflects upon the role of Music Therapy in the environment of early intervention, at ELI Entroncamento, Constância, and Vila Nova da Barquinha. This internship is part of the Music Therapy Masters programme, at Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa, and was performed in three different settings: kindergarten, nursery, and home. The main goal of this work is to understand the importance and value of Music Therapy in early intervention local teams, on children, and on their families. Nine case studies of children with different medical diagnoses (Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, Stroke, and Down Syndrome) were carried out. The subjects participated in sessions of 45 minutes long that took place weekly in the different environments. All participants were qualitatively evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the intervention protocol, using two different instruments: the Individualized Music Therapy Assessment Profile and the Nordoff-Robbins Musical Communicativeness Scale. The findings of this work revealed improvements from the subjects across all the domains, which attests that Music Therapy plays a very important role i