What's in an accent? The impact of accented synthetic speech on lexical choice in human-machine dialogue

The assumptions we make about a dialogue partner's knowledge and communicative ability (i.e. our partner models) can influence our language choices. Although similar processes may operate in human-machine dialogue, the role of design in shaping these models, and their subsequent effects on interaction are not clearly understood. Focusing on synthesis design, we conduct a referential communication experiment to identify the impact of accented speech on lexical choice. In particular, we focus on whether accented speech may encourage the use of lexical alternatives that are relevant to a partner's accent, and how this is may vary when in dialogue with a human or machine. We find that people are more likely to use American English terms when speaking with a US accented partner than an Irish accented partner in both human and machine conditions. This lends support to the proposal that synthesis design can influence partner perception of lexical knowledge, which in turn guide user's lexical choices. We discuss the findings with relation to the nature and dynamics of partner models in human machine dialogue.Comment: In press, accepted at 1st International Conference on Conversational User Interfaces (CUI 2019

Can co-speech gestures alone carry the mental time line?

Time and space have been shown to be interlinked in people’s minds. To what extent can co-speech gestures influence thinking about time, over and above spoken language? In this study, we use the ambiguous question “Next Wednesday’s meeting has been moved forward two days, what day is it on now?” to show that people either respond “Monday” or “Friday,” depending on gesture. We manipulated both language (using either the adverb “forward”, or the adverb “backward”) and gesture (forward and backward movement), thus creating matches and mismatches between speech and gesture. Results show that the speech manipulation exerts a stronger influence on people’s temporal perspectives than gesture. Moreover, the effect of gesture disappears completely for certain hand shapes and if non-movement language is used (“changed by two days” as opposed to “moved by two days”). We additionally find that the strength of the gesture effect is moderated by likeability: when people like the gesturer, they are more prone to assuming their perspective, which completely changes the meaning of forward and backward gestural movements. Altogether, our results suggest that gesture does play a role in thinking about time, but this role is auxiliary when compared to speech, and the degree to which gesture matters depends on one’s social relation to the gesturer

What Do We See in Them? Identifying Dimensions of Partner Models for Speech Interfaces Using a Psycholexical Approach

Perceptions of system competence and communicative ability, termed partner models, play a significant role in speech interface interaction. Yet we do not know what the core dimensions of this concept are. Taking a psycholexical approach, our paper is the first to identify the key dimensions that define partner models in speech agent interaction. Through a repertory grid study (N=21), a review of key subjective questionnaires, an expert review of resulting word pairs and an online study of 356 users of speech interfaces, we identify three key dimensions that make up a users’ partner model: 1) perceptions towards partner competence and dependability; 2) assessment of human-likeness; and 3) a system’s perceived cognitive flexibility. We discuss the implications for partner modelling as a concept, emphasising the importance of salience and the dynamic nature of these perceptions

Towards a concentric spatial psychology for social and emotional education : beyond the interlocking spatial pillars of modernism

This book seeks a fundamental shift in spatial systems of experience and understanding that govern basic assumptions of Western modernist traditions reliant on empty space and diametric spatial oppositions. A shift towards concentric relational spaces of assumed connection and relative openness for experience and thought is proposed for psychology, as well as social and emotional education. To do so requires interrogation of concepts usually peripheral to psychology, such as othering, the iron cage, fear of freedom. as well as integration of depth psychology with social and emotional education in cross-cultural, spatial terms. Space is being treated as both a domain of analysis and a method of interpretation, as part of this proposed interdisciplinary paradigm shift for psychology, education, and the humanities and social sciences more widely.peer-reviewe

An ethnomethodological exploration of police officers’ use of a cognitive aid when encountering people with a potential mental disorder

Aim This study investigated a police officer’s situation awareness , when encountering a potentially mentally disordered person. This underpinned the development of a cognitive aid to support them during such encounters. Background Up to 40% of police encounters are associated with someone experiencing a mental disorder. Operational difficulties due to situational complexity, and the police officer’s ignorance regarding the features of mental disorder, often translate into flawed situation awareness. This study built upon the work of Wright et al. (2008) with Lancashire Constabulary. Method An ethnomethodological design was employed, viewed through the theoretical lenses of symbolic interactionism and Endsley’s (1988) situation awareness framework. Completed in two stages, stage one utilised narrative synthesis, and individual semi-structured interviews with eight police officers. Data was thematically analysed to identify emerging themes which underpinned the cognitive aid’s development. Stage two employed a pre-post-test design, utilising video vignettes, note-taking exercises, and focus group interviews with seventeen police officers. The cognitive aid was used operationally prior to conducting semi-structured interviews with ten police officers. Results Emergent themes identified that pre-encounter factors shaped police officers’ situation awareness. This governed their assessment of danger, often resulting in pre-set behaviours to control a situation. Police officers demonstrated improved situation awareness, recognising and responding to a greater range of features of mental disorder when they used the cognitive aid. Contribution of new knowledge This was the first study to explore a police officer’s situation awareness, when encountering a potentially mentally disordered person. It identifies features police officers associate with mental disorder. The findings highlighted the effect of pre-encounter factors and their influence upon the perception of danger. Significantly, the cognitive aid caused a paradigm shift from one defined by an assumption of criminality, to one defined by the interpersonal in which police officers recognised and responded to a person’s mental health and well-being