Emotion in Action: Driving Simulator Technique

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Emotion in Action Driving Simulator Technique

• Edelle McMahon Roddy Cowie
• School of Psychology
• Queens University Belfast

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What we mean by emotion in action(and how it
relates to databases)

• In everyday life, emotion shapes ongoing
  activities
• Research is drawn to pure episodes
• BUT normally, emotion is coexisting with other
  plans, agendas, demands
• and what happens is an outcome of interactions
• Conversation is one instance of interaction
• SAL etc let us study that context
• But its not the only one

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What we mean by emotion in action(and how it
relates to databases)

• We hypothesise it affects other aspects of life
  by affecting cognition
• probably not whole story (motivation to make
  something happen), but a big part
• The results are distinctive actions
• e.g. Aristotles impulses ben Zeevs
  partiality
• And may play a big part in recognising emotion

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What we mean by emotion in action(and how it
relates to databases)

• We want to understand these effects
• not just episodes where expressing emotion is top
  of the agenda
• Practically important
• we cant assume direct transfer from situations
  where emotion is be-all end-all
• we may misinterpret apparently pure cases
• We need data that allows us to study these
  effects
• Drive sim is a context but also an application
  in itself

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The events we can study with STISIM

• Aspects of driving
• Dangerous driving
• Overcautious driving
• Indicators of cognitive processes
• Attention
• Decision-making
• Direct signs of emotion
• Vocal, facial, physiological, behavioural
• STISIM a good platform - can monitor a range of
  emotion outcomes

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Inducing emotion

• Desiderata
• i) naturalness
• ii) rigour
• Policy
• we have tried i), and its messy
• Ii) will need tweaking
• Choices
• Velten
• Computer game
• PLUS repeat reinforce

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Data issues

• primary records (raw data) give
• audio-visual
• full transcript of driving
• physiological records
• analysis needed to create useful features

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Useful Features Physiological

• ECG
• Heart Rate, Heart Rate Diff., Beat Magnitude
• GSR
• GSR Level, GSR Diff
• RESP
• Breath Rate, Breath Rate Diff., Breath Magnitude
• Skin Temp
• Temp Level, Temp Diff

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Useful Features Performance

• Implicit Driving Performance
• Acceleration
• Deceleration
• Lateral Velocity
• Lateral acceleration
• Steering effort
• Steering change
• Throttle level
• Throttle change
• Abrupt throttle change (surge)
• Braking intensity
• Braking intensity change

• Explicit Driving Performance
• Pedestrian risk
• Out of lane
• Off road
• Over speed limit
• Crashes

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Plan of work

• consultation with partners get it right!
• pilot work on inducing
• experiments proper

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• Thank you!

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• Contact me on.
• e.m.mcmahon_at_qub.ac.uk