Emotional engineering of artificial representations of sign languages

The fascination and challenge of making an appropriate digital representation of sign language for a highly specialised and culturally rich community such as the Deaf, has brought about the development and production of several digital representations of sign language (DRSL). These range from pictorial depictions of sign language, filmed video recordings to animated avatars (virtual humans). However, issues relating to translating and representing sign language in the digital-domain and the effectiveness of various approaches, has divided the opinion of the target audience. As a result there is still no universally accepted digital representation of sign language. For systems to reach their full potential, researchers have postulated that further investigation is needed into the interaction and representational issues associated with the mapping of sign language into the digital domain. This dissertation contributes a novel approach that investigates the comparative effectiveness of digital representations of sign language within different information delivery contexts. The empirical studies presented have supported the characterisation of the prescribed properties of DRSL's that make it an effective communication system, which when defined by the Deaf community, was often referred to as "emotion". This has led to and supported the developed of the proposed design methodology for the "Emotional Engineering of Artificial Sign Languages", which forms the main contribution of this thesis

Humanoid-based protocols to study social cognition

Social cognition is broadly defined as the way humans understand and process their interactions with other humans. In recent years, humans have become more and more used to interact with non-human agents, such as technological artifacts. Although these interactions have been restricted to human-controlled artifacts, they will soon include interactions with embodied and autonomous mechanical agents, i.e., robots. This challenge has motivated an area of research related to the investigation of human reactions towards robots, widely referred to as Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). Classical HRI protocols often rely on explicit measures, e.g., subjective reports. Therefore, they cannot address the quantification of the crucial implicit social cognitive processes that are evoked during an interaction. This thesis aims to develop a link between cognitive neuroscience and human-robot interaction (HRI) to study social cognition. This approach overcomes methodological constraints of both fields, allowing to trigger and capture the mechanisms of real-life social interactions while ensuring high experimental control. The present PhD work demonstrates this through the systematic study of the effect of online eye contact on gaze-mediated orienting of attention. The study presented in Publication I aims to adapt the gaze-cueing paradigm from cognitive science to an objective neuroscientific HRI protocol. Furthermore, it investigates whether the gaze-mediated orienting of attention is sensitive to the establishment of eye contact. The study replicates classic screen-based findings of attentional orienting mediated by gaze both at behavioral and neural levels, highlighting the feasibility and the scientific value of adding neuroscientific methods to HRI protocols. The aim of the study presented in Publication II is to examine whether and how real-time eye contact affects the dual-component model of joint attention orienting. To this end, cue validity and stimulus-to-onset asynchrony are also manipulated. The results show an interactive effect of strategic (cue validity) and social (eye contact) top-down components on the botton-up reflexive component of gaze-mediated orienting of attention. The study presented in Publication III aims to examine the subjective engagement and attribution of human likeness towards the robot depending on established eye contact or not during a joint attention task. Subjective reports show that eye contact increases human likeness attribution and feelings of engagement with the robot compared to a no-eye contact condition. The aim of the study presented in Publication IV is to investigate whether eye contact established by a humanoid robot affects objective measures of engagement (i.e. joint attention and fixation durations), and subjective feelings of engagement with the robot during a joint attention task. Results show that eye contact modulates attentional engagement, with longer fixations at the robot’s face and cueing effect when the robot establishes eye contact. In contrast, subjective reports show that the feeling of being engaged with the robot in an HRI protocol is not modulated by real-time eye contact. This study further supports the necessity for adding objective methods to HRI. Overall, this PhD work shows that embodied artificial agents can advance the theoretical knowledge of social cognitive mechanisms by serving as sophisticated interactive stimuli of high ecological validity and excellent experimental control. Moreover, humanoid-based protocols grounded in cognitive science can advance the HRI community by informing about the exact cognitive mechanisms that are present during HRI

Introducing a Pairwise Comparison Scale for UX Evaluations with Preschoolers

This paper describes the development and validation of a pairwise comparison scale for user experience (UX) evaluations with preschoolers. More particularly, the dimensionality, reliability and validity of the scale are discussed. The results of three experiments among almost 170 preschoolers show that user experience cannot be measured quantitatively as a multi-dimensional construct. In contrast, preschoolers’ UX should be measured directly as a one-dimensional higher order construct. This one-dimensional scale encompassing five general items proved to be internally consistent and valid providing evidence of a solid theory-based instrument to measure UX with preschoolers.status: publishe

Perceiving Sociable Technology: Exploring the Role of Anthropomorphism and Agency Perception on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)

With the arrival of personal assistants and other AI-enabled autonomous technologies, social interactions with smart devices have become a part of our daily lives. Therefore, it becomes increasingly important to understand how these social interactions emerge, and why users appear to be influenced by them. For this reason, I explore questions on what the antecedents and consequences of this phenomenon, known as anthropomorphism, are as described in the extant literature from fields ranging from information systems to social neuroscience. I critically analyze those empirical studies directly measuring anthropomorphism and those referring to it without a corresponding measurement. Through a grounded theory approach, I identify common themes and use them to develop models for the antecedents and consequences of anthropomorphism. The results suggest anthropomorphism possesses both conscious and non-conscious components with varying implications. While conscious attributions are shown to vary based on individual differences, non-conscious attributions emerge whenever a technology exhibits apparent reasoning such as through non-verbal behavior like peer-to-peer mirroring or verbal paralinguistic and backchanneling cues. Anthropomorphism has been shown to affect users’ self-perceptions, perceptions of the technology, how users interact with the technology, and the users’ performance. Examples include changes in a users’ trust on the technology, conformity effects, bonding, and displays of empathy. I argue these effects emerge from changes in users’ perceived agency, and their self- and social- identity similarly to interactions between humans. Afterwards, I critically examine current theories on anthropomorphism and present propositions about its nature based on the results of the empirical literature. Subsequently, I introduce a two-factor model of anthropomorphism that proposes how an individual anthropomorphizes a technology is dependent on how the technology was initially perceived (top-down and rational or bottom-up and automatic), and whether it exhibits a capacity for agency or experience. I propose that where a technology lays along this spectrum determines how individuals relates to it, creating shared agency effects, or changing the users’ social identity. For this reason, anthropomorphism is a powerful tool that can be leveraged to support future interactions with smart technologies

In the name of status:Adolescent harmful social behavior as strategic self-regulation

Adolescent harmful social behavior is behavior that benefits the person that exhibits it but could harm (the interest of) another. The traditional perspective on adolescent harmful social behavior is that it is what happens when something goes wrong in the developmental process, classifying such behaviors as a self-regulation failure. Yet, theories drawing from evolution theory underscore the adaptiveness of harmful social behavior and argue that such behavior is enacted as a means to gain important resources for survival and reproduction; gaining a position of power This dissertation aims to examine whether adolescent harmful social behavior can indeed be strategic self-regulation, and formulated two questions: Can adolescent harmful social behavior be seen as strategic attempts to obtain social status? And how can we incorporate this status-pursuit perspective more into current interventions that aim to reduce harmful social behavior? To answer these questions, I conducted a meta-review, a meta-analysis, two experimental studies, and an individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA). Meta-review findings of this dissertation underscore that when engaging in particular behavior leads to the acquisition of important peer-status-related goals, harmful social behavior may also develop from adequate self-regulation. Empirical findings indicate that the prospect of status affordances can motivate adolescents to engage in harmful social behavior and that descriptive and injunctive peer norms can convey such status prospects effectively. IPDMA findings illustrate that we can reach more adolescent cooperation and collectivism than we are currently promoting via interventions. In this dissertation, I argue we can do this in two ways. One, teach adolescents how they can achieve status by behaving prosocially. And two, change peer norms that reward harmful social behavior with popularity

Success factors of social influencers – multiple dimensions and contingencies of a prosperous campaign

Social Influencer haben sich zu einem mächtigen Mittel der Marketing-Kommunikation entwickelt. Gegenwärtig übersteigt die Höhe der Ausgaben für Social Influencer Marketing die der traditionellen Werbung (wie Fernsehspots, Print- oder Plakatwerbung). Angesichts des großen Einflusses, den Social Influencer auf Konsumenten haben können, stellt sich die Frage, wie man eine Influencer-Kampagne erfolgreich durchführt. Erste Ansätze haben Engagement-Variablen berücksichtigt - z. B. die Anzahl der Follower eines Influencers. Allerdings haben sich diese Ansätze oft genug als zu schlicht und eindimensional erwiesen. Tatsächlich beruht der Erfolg eines Influencer-Endorsements auf einem komplexen System von Erfolgsfaktoren, deren Bedeutung variieren kann. Dazu gehören unter anderem Faktoren, die in der Person des Influencers liegen, das Zusammenspiel zwischen Influencer und Zielgruppe, das Setup von Influencer und Marke/Produkt, der Kommunikationsstil des Influencers und die Vermeidung von Influencer-Fehlverhalten. Diese Elemente können miteinander verbunden sein und auch in gegenseitigem Konflikt stehen. Die vorliegende Dissertation widmet sich der Erforschung dieses komplexen Systems und der Schließung von Forschungslücken. Das erste Modul (1 Beitrag) legt ein Fundament, indem die drei Faktoren Attraktivität, Expertise und Vertrauenswürdigkeit untersucht werden. Im zweiten Modul, das zwei Forschungsarbeiten umfasst, wird das Zusammenspiel zwischen Influencer, Konsument und Marke/Produkt behandelt. Das erste Paper fokussiert die Persönlichkeit und untersucht die Übereinstimmung der Influencer-Persönlichkeit mit dem tatsächlichen und gewünschten Selbstkonzept des Konsumenten sowie mit der Markenpersönlichkeit. Dabei wird auch die moderierende Rolle des Produktinvolvements berücksichtigt. Im zweiten Beitrag wird das Zusammenspiel von Influencer- und Konsumentenattraktivität sowie Geschlecht untersucht. Das dritte Modul (4 Beiträge) konzentriert sich auf die Erfolgsfaktoren für verschiedene Produktarten bzw. Endorsement-Anlässe; dabei wird ein starker Bezug zur Kommunikation des Influencers hergestellt. Paper 1 und 2 ziehen eine grundsätzliche Grenze zwischen hedonischen und utilitaristischen Produkten und untersuchen die Bedeutung von Kommunikationsstil, Faktizität, Expertise und demographischer Ähnlichkeit. Der dritte Beitrag untersucht die Rolle der Attraktivität und Expertise von Influencern für attraktivitätsbezogene und nicht-attraktivitätsbezogene Produkte. Der vierte Beitrag schließlich diskutiert die Besonderheiten eines Influencer-Endorsements im Non-Profit-Kontext. Im letzten Modul werden die Schattenseiten des Influencer-Marketings, nämlich die schädliche Wirkung von Skandalen, in einem Beitrag beleuchtet. Diese Arbeit verdeutlicht die Vielfalt und Kontingenz der Faktoren, die ein erfolgreiches Influencer Endorsement ausmachen. Alle Faktoren müssen gegeneinander abgewogen und diskutiert werden; dabei spielen Unterschiede wie die angesprochene Zielgruppe oder das beworbene Produkt bzw. Anliegen eine große Rolle. Die Ergebnisse liefern wertvolle Implikationen für Praktiker vieler Branchen, um ihre Influencer-Kampagnen erfolgreich zu gestalten und umzusetzen. Ebenso eröffnen die Ergebnisse viele Perspektiven für zukünftige Forschung. Ein großes Forschungspotenzial kann in einer qualitativen Ergänzung der durchgeführten quantitativen Studien liegen. Auf diese Weise könnten die Gedanken, Gefühle und Handlungsabsichten von Influencern, Konsumenten und Praktikern, die die Grundlage der vorliegenden Ergebnisse bilden, aufgedeckt werden

E-learning in Science and Design and Technology : Proceedings of IDATER on-line conference 2005 - 2006

E-learning in Science and Design and Technology : Proceedings of IDATER on-line conference 2005 - 200