1,720,972 research outputs found
CEST: a Cognitive Event based Semi-automatic Technique for behavior segmentation
This work introduces CEST, a Cognitive Event based Semiautomatic Technique for behavior segmentation. The technique was inspired by an everyday cognitive process. Humans, in fact, make sense of what happens to them by breaking the continuous stream of activity into smaller units, through a process known as segmentation. A cognitive theory, the Event Segmentation Theory, provides a computational and neurophysiological account of this process, describing how the detection of changes in the current situation drive boundary perception. CEST was designed with the aim of providing affective researchers with a tool to semi-automatically segment behavior. Researchers investigating behavior, as a matter of fact, often need to parse their research data into simpler units, either manually or automatically. To perform segmentation, the technique combines manual annotations and the output of change-point detection algorithms, techniques from time-series research that afford the detection of abrupt changes in time-series. CEST is inherently multidisciplinary: it is, to the best of our knowledge, the first attempt to adopt a cognitive science perspective on the issue of (semi) automatic behavior segmentation. CEST is a general-purpose technique, as it aims at providing a tool for segmenting behavior across research areas. In this manuscript, we detail the theories behind the design of CEST and the results of two experimental studies aimed at assessing the feasibility of the approach on both single and group scenarios. Most importantly, we present the results of the evaluation of CEST on a data-set of dance performances. We explore seven different techniques for change-point detection that could be leveraged to achieve semi-automatic segmentation through CEST and illustrate how two different bayesian algorithms led to the highest scores. Upon selecting the best algorithms, we measured the effect of the temporal grain of the analysis on the performance. Overall, our results support the idea of a semiautomatic segmentation technique for behavior segmentation. The output of the analysis mirrors cognitive science research on segmentation and on event structure perception. The work also tackles new challenges that may arise from our approach
The role of emotion in movement segmentation
Humans understand ongoing events by breaking reality into meaningful units through a process named "event segmentation". In psychology, theories such as the "Event Segmentation theory" have been proposed to illustrate how humans perceive the structure of ongoing behavior. Parsing discrete gestures from a continuous movement stream is also a necessary step for movement analysis. Many approaches towards automatic emotion recognition from full body movement leverage automatic segmentation methods. Nonetheless, to the best of my knowledge, no framework has applied Event Segmentation theory to the automatic segmentation of emotion conveying movements. In this paper, I propose the exploitation of a computational model of event segmentation to extend a movement-analysis framework with an event segmentation module
An Emotional Agent for Moral Impairment Rehabilitation in TBI Patients
The ability to identify the emotions of others is a key component of what is known as social cognition. Narratives exploit this mechanism to create an emotional bond with the characters and to maintain the engagement of the audience throughout the story. In this paper, we illustrate a case study in emotion understanding in stories that exploits a computational agent to explore emotion impairment in a group of traumatic brain injured people. The study focuses on moral emotions, aiming to investigate the differences in moral functioning that characterize traumatic brain injured patients. After comparing the understanding of the moral and emotional facets of the agent's behavior in traumatic brain injured patients and in neurologically intact controls, slight–yet meaningful–differences were observed between the two groups. We describe the test methodology and results, highlighting their implications for the design of rehabilitation applications based on virtual agents
Computational Commensality: from theories to computational models for social food preparation and consumption in HCI
Food and eating are inherently social activities taking place, for example, around the dining table at home, in restaurants, or in public spaces. Enjoying eating with others, often referred to as “commensality,” positively affects mealtime in terms of, among other factors, food intake, food choice, and food satisfaction. In this paper we discuss the concept of “Computational Commensality,” that is, technology which computationally addresses various social aspects of food and eating. In the past few years, Human-Computer Interaction started to address how interactive technologies can improve mealtimes. However, the main focus has been made so far on improving the individual's experience, rather than considering the inherently social nature of food consumption. In this survey, we first present research from the field of social psychology on the social relevance of Food- and Eating-related Activities (F&EA). Then, we review existing computational models and technologies that can contribute, in the near future, to achieving Computational Commensality. We also discuss the related research challenges and indicate future applications of such new technology that can potentially improve F&EA from the commensality perspective
Guess who's coming to dinner? Surveying Digital Commensality During Covid-19 Outbreak
Eating together is one of the most treasured human activities. Its benefits range from improving the taste of food to mitigating the feelings of loneliness. In 2020, many countries have adopted lock-down and social distancing policies, forcing people to stay home, often alone and away from families and friends. Although technology can help connecting those that are physically distant, it is not clear whether eating together, at the same moment via video-call, is effective in creating the sense of connectedness that comes with sharing a meal with a friend or a family member in person. In this work, we report the results of an online survey on remote eating practices during Covid-19 lock-down, exploring the psychological motivations behind remote eating and behind deciding not to. Moreover, we sketch how future technologies could help creating digital commensality experiences
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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