Personality in interaction: how the Big Five relate to the reception of interactive narratives

In this study, we explore how users’ personalities affect their responses to interactive narratives. In particular, we analyze the relationship between personality traits and relevant variables in narrative reception: identification with characters, enjoyment, self-perceived physiological sensations, emotional experience and content. Experimental participants (N=310) answered the NEO- FFI personality questionnaire and watched a movie in one of four experimental conditions that combined modality (interactive vs. linear) and content (happy vs. tragic end). Results suggest that personality traits influence users’ responses to fiction and interactivity.En este trabajo, exploramos como la personalidad de los usuarios afecta su respuesta a las narrativas interactivas. En particular, analizamos la relación entre los rasgos de personalidad y variables relevantes en recepción de narrativas: identificación con los personajes, disfrute, sensaciones fisiológicas, emociones y contenido. Los participantes (N=310) respondieron el inventario NEO-FFI de la personalidad y vieron una película en una de las cuatro condiciones experimentales en las que se combinó modalidad (interactiva vs. no interactiva) y contenido (final feliz vs. trágico). Los resultados sugieren que la personalidad influye las respuestas de los usuarios a las ficciones y a la interactividad

Towards emotion recognition for virtual environments: an evaluation of eeg features on benchmark dataset

One of the challenges in virtual environments is the difficulty users have in interacting with these increasingly complex systems. Ultimately, endowing machines with the ability to perceive users emotions will enable a more intuitive and reliable interaction. Consequently, using the electroencephalogram as a bio-signal sensor, the affective state of a user can be modelled and subsequently utilised in order to achieve a system that can recognise and react to the user’s emotions. This paper investigates features extracted from electroencephalogram signals for the purpose of affective state modelling based on Russell’s Circumplex Model. Investigations are presented that aim to provide the foundation for future work in modelling user affect to enhance interaction experience in virtual environments. The DEAP dataset was used within this work, along with a Support Vector Machine and Random Forest, which yielded reasonable classification accuracies for Valence and Arousal using feature vectors based on statistical measurements and band power from the and waves and High Order Crossing of the EEG signal

Virtual Reality as a Tool for Evaluation of Repetitive Rhythmic Movements in the Elderly and Parkinson's Disease Patients

This work presents an immersive Virtual Reality (VR) system to evaluate, and potentially treat, the alterations in rhythmic hand movements seen in Parkinson's disease (PD) and the elderly (EC), by comparison with healthy young controls (YC). The system integrates the subjects into a VR environment by means of a Head Mounted Display, such that subjects perceive themselves in a virtual world consisting of a table within a room. In this experiment, subjects are presented in 1st person perspective, so that the avatar reproduces finger tapping movements performed by the subjects. The task, known as the finger tapping test (FT), was performed by all three subject groups, PD, EC and YC. FT was carried out by each subject on two different days (sessions), one week apart. In each FT session all subjects performed FT in the real world (FTREAL) and in the VR (FTVR); each mode was repeated three times in randomized order. During FT both the tapping frequency and the coefficient of variation of inter-tap interval were registered. FTVR was a valid test to detect differences in rhythm formation between the three groups. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and mean difference between days for FTVR (for each group) showed reliable results. Finally, the analysis of ICC and mean difference between FTVR vs FTREAL, for each variable and group, also showed high reliability. This shows that FT evaluation in VR environments is valid as real world alternative, as VR evaluation did not distort movement execution and detects alteration in rhythm formation. These results support the use of VR as a promising tool to study alterations and the control of movement in different subject groups in unusual environments, such as during fMRI or other imaging studies

When your robot avatar misbehaves you are likely to apologize: an exploration of guilt during robot embodiment

Would people feel guilty if their robot avatar acted autonomously to harm someone? We examined the experience of guilt during robot avatar embodiment, a form of embodiment where the participants experience the body of a humanoid robot as if it were their own. In particular, we analyzed what happens when a robot avatar spontaneously verbally abuses someone during a conversation using the participant’s voice, without this being the intention of the participant. In a 2 × 2 between-subjects experimental design, participants embodied a humanoid robot that added either offensive or neutral words during a conversation with a confederate, and had control over the robot’s movements or not (synch. vs. asynch.). We found that guilt and shame were positively associated with offensive words and that apologizing and verbal repair were positively related to guilt. Also, body ownership was moderately associated to apologizing and verbal repair. The results suggest that people may feel guilty for the actions of their robot avatars even if they are not the real agents of these actions. The work highlights the importance of examining the moral and legal aspects related to robot embodiment technologies

Examining sense of responsibility in an experience of robot avatar embodiment

Would people feel responsible if their avatar acted autonomously to harm someone? We examined sense of responsibility during robot avatar embodiment. In particular, we analyzed what happens when a robot avatar spontaneously verbally abuses someone during a conversation using the participant’s voice, without this being the intention of the participant. We found that participants in an experimental condition in which the robot included offensive words during a conversation with a confederate experienced more guilt and shame and apologized more for the bad actions of the robot than when the words were neutral. The illusion of ownership over the robot body movements did not significantly increase guilt and apologies. The results suggest that people feel responsible for the actions of their robot avatars even if they are not the real agents of these actions. The work highlights the importance of examining the moral and legal aspects related to embodiment technologies

A Self-Guiding Tool to Conduct Research With Embodiment Technologies Responsibly

Horizon 2020(H2020)707404Effective Protection of Fundamental Rights in a pluralist worl

Personality in interaction: how the Big Five relate to the reception of interactive narratives

In this study, we explore how users’ personalities affect their responses to interactive narratives. In particular, we analyze the relationship between personality traits and relevant variables in narrative reception: identification with characters, enjoyment, self-perceived physiological sensations, emotional experience and content. Experimental participants (N=310) answered the NEO- FFI personality questionnaire and watched a movie in one of four experimental conditions that combined modality (interactive vs. linear) and content (happy vs. tragic end). Results suggest that personality traits influence users’ responses to fiction and interactivity.En este trabajo, exploramos como la personalidad de los usuarios afecta su respuesta a las narrativas interactivas. En particular, analizamos la relación entre los rasgos de personalidad y variables relevantes en recepción de narrativas: identificación con los personajes, disfrute, sensaciones fisiológicas, emociones y contenido. Los participantes (N=310) respondieron el inventario NEO-FFI de la personalidad y vieron una película en una de las cuatro condiciones experimentales en las que se combinó modalidad (interactiva vs. no interactiva) y contenido (final feliz vs. trágico). Los resultados sugieren que la personalidad influye las respuestas de los usuarios a las ficciones y a la interactividad