Philippe Georges Zimmermann

Affective computing--a rationale for measuring mood with mouse and keyboard.

Emotions are an increasingly important factor in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Up to the present, emotion recognition in HCI implies the use of explicit or intrusive methods, for example, video cameras or physiological measurements. We are developing and evaluating a method for the measurement of affective states through motor-behavioral parameters from standard input devices (mouse and keyboard).

Respiratory responses associated with affective processing of film stimuli

We investigated respiratory responses during film clip viewing and their relation to the affective dimensions of valence and arousal. Seventy-six subjects participated in a study using a between groups design. To begin with, all participants viewed an emotionally neutral film clip. Then, they were presented with one out of four emotional film clips: a positive high-arousal, a positive low-arousal, a negative high-arousal and a negative low-arousal clip. Respiration, skin conductance level, heart rate, corrugator activity and affective judgments were measured. Expiratory time was shorter and inspiratory duty cycle, mean expiratory flow and minute ventilation were larger during the high-arousal clips compared to the low-arousal clips. The pleasantness of the stimuli had no influence on any respiratory measure. These findings confirm the importance of arousal in respiratory responding but also evidence differences in comparison to previous studies using visual and auditory stimuli.

Valence lasts longer than arousal: Persistence of induced moods as assessed by psychophysiological measures

How long induced moods last is a critical question for mood research, but has been only poorly addressed to date. In particular, physiological parameters have rarely been included to assess the effectiveness of mood induction procedures. We investigated the persistence of four different moods (positive high-arousal, positive low-arousal, negative high-arousal, and negative low-arousal) induced by film clips during a computer task. We measured subjective affective state, respiration, skin conductance level (SCL), heart rate, and corrugator activity. People who watched the two negative clips reported more negative valence after the task and showed more facial frowning and lower SCL during the task than people who watched the two positive clips. No arousal effects persisted throughout the task. The results suggest that induced changes in the valence dimension of moods are maintained throughout an intervening task and are physiologically best reflected by corrugator activity and SCL, whereas induced changes i...

Investigating Means to Reduce Cognitive Load from Animations: Applying Differentiated Measures of Knowledge Representation

Abstract This paper covers an experiment designed to investigate the relationship between the didactical setting and learning effects with animations. We investigated whether the cognitive load imposed by animations could be reduced when the students could control the flow of the animation. We did not find an effect due to the fact that the students did not actively use this feature to take more control of the presentation. Further, by applying differentiated knowledge measures, we investigated if the characteristics of the acquired knowledge were related to the characteristics of the multimedia presentation. We found that media do not influence knowledge acquisition homogeneously. The multimedia effects found in this study are in line with known principles of didactical multimedia design. This study sheds light on some theoretical aspects involved in the complex interaction between learning content, presentation, learning, and resulting knowledge.

Electronic rating of objective structured clinical examinations: mobile digital forms beat paper and pencil checklists in a comparative study

During a two-day objective structured clinical examination (OSCE), we compared two types of checklists for student performance ratings: paper & pencil vs. digital checklists on iPads. Several subjective and objective measures from 10 examiners were collected and computed. Data showed that digital checklists were perceived as significantly more usable and less exertive and were also preferred in overall ratings. Assessments completed with digital checklists were found to have no missing items while assessments completed with paper checklists contained more than 8 blank items on average. Finally, checklist type did not influence assessment scores even though when using digital checklists more item-choice changes were produced.