No description available.

The ability to recognize emotions is an important part of building intelligent computers. Extracting the emotional aspects of a situation could provide computers with a rich context to make appropriate decisions about how to interact with the user or adapt the system response. The problem that we address in this thesis is that the current methods of determining user emotion have two issues: the equipment that is required is expensive, and the majority of these sensors are invasive to the user. These problems limit the real-world applicability of existing emotion-sensing methods because the equipment costs limit the availability of the technology, and the obtrusive nature of the sensors are not realistic in typical home or office settings. Our solution is to determine user emotions by analyzing the rhythm of an individuals typing patterns on a standard keyboard. Our keystroke dynamics approach would allow for the uninfluenced determination of emotion using technology that is in widespread use today. We conducted a field study where participants keystrokes were collected in situ and their emotional states were recorded via self reports. Using various data mining techniques, we created models based on 15 different emotional states. With the results from our cross-validation, we identify our best-performing emotional state models as well as other emotional states that can be explored in future studies. We also provide a set of recommendations for future analysis on the existing data set as well as suggestions for future data collection and experimentation.

MoodScope is a first-of-its-kind smartphone software system that learns the mood of its user based on how the smartphone is used. While commonly available sensors on smartphones measure physical properties, MoodScope is a sensor that measures an important mental state of the user and brings mood as an important context into context-aware computing. We design MoodScope using a formative study with 32 participants and collect mood journals and usage data from them over two months. Through the study, we find that by analyzing communication history and application usage patterns, we can statistically infer a user’s daily mood average with 93% accuracy after a two-month training period. To a lesser extent, we can also estimate Sudden Mood Change events with reasonable accuracy (74%). Motivated by these results, we build a service, MoodScope, which analyzes usage history to act as a sensor of the user’s mood. We provide a MoodScope API for developers to use our system to create mood-enabled applications and create and deploy sample applications.

The ability to recognize emotions is an important part of building intelligent computers. Extracting the emotional aspects of a situation could provide computers with a rich context to make appropriate decisions about how to interact with the user or adapt the system response. The problem that we address in this thesis is that the current methods of determining user emotion have two issues: the equipment that is required is expensive, and the majority of these sensors are invasive to the user. These problems limit the real-world applicability of existing emotion-sensing methods because the equipment costs limit the availability of the technology, and the obtrusive nature of the sensors are not realistic in typical home or office settings. Our solution is to determine user emotions by analyzing the rhythm of an individuals typing patterns on a standard keyboard. Our keystroke dynamics approach would allow for the uninfluenced determination of emotion using technology that is in widespread use today. We conducted a field study where participants keystrokes were collected in situ and their emotional states were recorded via self reports. Using various data mining techniques, we created models based on 15 different emotional states. With the results from our cross-validation, we identify our best-performing emotional state models as well as other emotional states that can be explored in future studies. We also provide a set of recommendations for future analysis on the existing data set as well as suggestions for future data collection and experimentation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-224). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-101). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2001. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 213-224). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2003. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-101). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (M.A.)--Central Connecticut State University, 2003. / Thesis advisor: C. Charles Mate-Kole. " ... in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in General Psychology." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-55). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Affective domain is believed globally to be one of the main areas of human experience and development. While affective education is generally valued as a significant aspect of education, its interpretation and realization may vary across countries and cultures. The primary purpose of the present research is to investigate how affective education is conceptualized and implemented in contemporary China. To achieve such an aim, a qualitative case study was conducted in the capital city of Guangdong Province- Guangzhou. A middle school in the city with uniqueness in its practice of affective education was selected as the case school for study. Fieldwork was carried out from the year of 2005 to 2007 to investigate the perceptions of school leaders, teachers and students about the concept and practice of affective education. Multiple methods were employed in this research. Data were drawn from in-depth interviews with the present and former school principal, Communist Party Secretary at school, teachers and students of the school. Evidence was also collected via on-site observations, analysis of textbooks, learning materials and school documents. A shadowing approach of observation to the principal was also launched. A total of 42 informants were interviewed and 25 sessions of participant and non-participant observations were conducted in the campus. Different sources of the data were categorized, thematically analyzed, and triangulated. The functions, content elements and the practice of affective education were identified. Findings showed that affective education was implemented in the name of Meiyu which meant aesthetic education in its broadest sense. The salient functions and content of Meiyu as affective education were closely related to character formation and Chinese traditional values as well as political ideology. An essential feature of centralized management of affective education in a collectivistic culture was also illuminated in the study. The findings revealed the essential class teachers’ pastoral task of being role models for character development and providing comprehensive care and support to individual student and at class level. It was also affirmed that time-honoured moral values were particularly dominant for creating school climate in a Chinese context. The provision of affective education as shown in this study involved a direct concern for the moral development of students. Playing the role as an agent imparting moral values, affective education in China cultivates a unique affective experience- Chinese affect to nurture moral individuals with the ultimate goal of serving the interests of the collective. The unique approach of implementing affective education in a Chinese pastoral care structure also witnesses the tension of regulation of self versus liberation of self. While this study reaffirms mainland theorists’ framework about affective moral education, it also informs the extant theories of affective education that though affective education in the East and the West are concerned about enhancing students’ affective development, they differ much in their emphasis. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy