Apparatus and Method for Objectively Determining Human Response to Media

• US 20080214902A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Lee, Michael J., Lee, Hans C., Fettiplace, Michael, Wilson, Josh
• Granted Patent: US 9,215,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/301
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1455 using optical sensors, e.g. spectral photometrical oximeters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/165 Evaluating the state of mind, e.g. depression, anxiety
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/372 Analysis of electroencephalograms
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6814 Head
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7257 using Fourier transforms

Abstract

An exemplary embodiment providing one or more improvements includes a media analysis apparatus and method in which human mental response to media is objectively determined.

Claims

43. A method for objectively determining a response of a user to at least one event in media experienced by the user, comprising:

detecting brainwaves in the user'"'"'s brain while the user experiences the event and generating a brainwave signal in response thereto which is related to an intensity of the brain wave during the event;

detecting heart beats of the user'"'"'s heart while the user experiences the event and generating a heart rate signal which is related to the heart rate of the user during the event; and

using the brainwave signal and the heart rate signal to produce an emotional response signal that is related to an emotional response of the user to the event.

1. A method for objectively determining a response of a user to at least one event in media experienced by the user, comprising:

detecting a first physiological response in the user while the user experiences the event and generating a first physiological response signal in response thereto;

detecting a second, different physiological response in the user while the user experiences the event and generating a second physiological response signal in response thereto;

applying a scaling factor to at least a selected one of the physiological response signals;

using the first and second physiological response signals, as scaled, to determine an emotional response of the user to the event; and

changing the scaling factor depending on a characteristic of at least one of the first and second physiological response signals to more accurately reflect the user'"'"'s emotional response.

2. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed while the first or second physiological response is detected.

3. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed at least partially in response to an estimated amount of noise in at least one of the first and second physiological response signals.

4. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed at least partially in response to amplitude of at least one of the first and second physiological response signals.

5. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed at least partially in response to a rate of change of at least one of the first and second physiological response signals.

6. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed at least partially in response to at least one of the first and second physiological response signals exceeding a predetermined range.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed at least partially based on a level of confidence of the accuracy of a selected one of the first or second physiological response signals, and the level of confidence of the selected response signal is based on the other, non-selected one of the physiological response signals.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein the scaling factor is changed based at least partially on the event.

9. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second physiological response signals is smoothed by slew rate filtering.

10. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the first and second physiological response signals is smoothed by low pass filtering.

11. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the physiological response signals is related to electrical activity in the brain of the user.

12. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical activity related physiological response signal is an EEG signal which includes an amount of energy of the electrical activity of the user'"'"'s brain and the scaling factor is reduced if the amount of energy in the EEG is greater than a predetermined amount of energy.

13. A method as defined in claim 12 wherein the scaling factor is reduced in proportion to an amount that the energy is greater than the predetermined amount of energy.

14. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical activity related physiological response signal involves amounts of Theta band EEG energy in the brain of the user during the event.

15. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical activity related physiological response signal involves amounts of Alpha band EEG energy in the brain of the user during the event.

16. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical activity related physiological response signal involves a difference between Theta and Alpha EEG energy in the brain of the user during the event.

17. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein electrical activity related physiological response signal involves a difference between electrical activity in left and right sides of the brain of the user.

18. A method as defined in claim 11 wherein the electrical activity is used to determine when the user'"'"'s eyes blink.

19. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the physiological response signals is related to an amount of oxygen in the blood of the user.

20. A method as defined in claim 19 wherein the amount of oxygen is used to determine a heart rate of the user during the event.

21. A method as defined in claim 19 wherein the amount of oxygen is used to determine a characteristic of breathing during the event.

22. A method as defined in claim 19 wherein the amount of oxygen is used to determine a characteristic of a pulse of the heart during the event.

23. A method as defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the physiological response signals is related to a movement of the user.

24. A method as defined in claim 23 wherein the movement indicates an orientation of the head of the user.

25. A method as defined in claim 23 wherein the movement indicates when the user is speaking.

26. A method as defined in claim 23 wherein the movement related response signal is determined from an acceleration of the user.

27. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

detecting a third, different physiological response signal while the user experiences the event and generating a third physiological response signal in response thereto, and wherein the third physiological response signal is also used to determine the emotional response of the user to the event and changing the scaling factor depending on a characteristic of at least one of the first, second or third physiological response signals.

28. A method as defined in claim 27 wherein the first physiological response involves electrical activity in the brain of the user, the second physiological response involves an oxygen level in blood of the user and the third physiological response involves movement of the user.

29. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the determined emotional response involves a level of engagement of the user.

30. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the characteristic is whether the selected response signal is within a predetermined range.

31. A method as defined in claim 30 wherein the scaling factor is decreased if the selected response signal is not within the predetermined range.

32. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the characteristic is a rate of change of the selected response signal.

33. A method as defined in claim 32 wherein the scaling factor is decreased if the rate of change of the selected response signal is greater than a predetermined rate of change.

34. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the characteristic relates to an energy level of the electrical activity in the user'"'"'s brain.

35. A method as defined in claim 34 wherein the scaling factor is decreased when the energy level is higher than a predetermined level.

36. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the second physiological response signal is used to determine a measure of coherence of the user'"'"'s breathing and the third physiological response signal includes a power spectrum related to an amount which the user is moving, and the scaling factor is changed depending on a correlation between the measure of breathing coherence and the amount that the user is moving.

37. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein separate scaling factors are applied to each of the first, second and third physiological response signals.

38. A method as defined in claim 37 wherein an overall scaling factor is applied to the emotional response.

39. A method as defined in claim 38 wherein the overall scaling factor is determined using the separate scaling factors applied to each of the first, second and third physiological response signals.

40. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the first, second and third physiological response signals are used to determine a degree to which the user is mentally engaged in the event.

41. A method as defined in claim 28 wherein the scaling factor is changed while detecting at least one of the electrical activity in user'"'"'s brain, the oxygen level in the user'"'"'s blood or the movement of the user.

42. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

using the determined emotional response of the user to the event in the media to determine if the event should remain in the media.

44. A method as defined in claim 43 wherein the brainwave signal includes a difference between energy in a first band of brainwaves and energy in a second band of brainwaves.

45. A method as defined in claim 44 wherein the first band of brainwaves is the Theta band and the second band of brainwaves is the Alpha band.

46. A method as defined in claim 45 wherein the brainwave signal is scaled to produce the emotional response signal.

45-1. A method as defined in claim 43 wherein the brainwave signal is based at least partially on a sum of energies in first and second bands of brainwaves in the user'"'"'s brain.

46-2. A method as defined in claim 43 wherein amplitude of the emotional response signal increases when the user is more engaged in the event and decreases when the user is less engaged in the event.

47. A method for objectively determining a response of a user to an event in media, comprising:

detecting amounts of electrical energy in certain frequency bandwidths in the brain of the user; and

determining the response of the user based at least partially on the detected amounts of electrical energy.

48. A method as defined in claim 47 wherein the detected amounts of electrical energy are in the Theta and Alpha bandwidths and the response is determined by at least partially based on a difference between the amounts of Theta and Alpha energy.

49. A method as defined in claim 48 wherein the response is related to a degree in which the user is mentally engaged in the event.

50. A method as defined in claim 47 wherein a total amount of energy is determined from the detected amounts of electrical energy and the determined response is based on the total amount of energy.

51. A method as defined in claim 47 wherein amounts of energy in different bands are detected and the energy in the different bands are compared to determine a highest energy level band and the highest energy level band is used to determine the response.

52. A method as defined in claim 47 wherein at least one of the certain bandwidths is in the Alpha band.

53. A method as defined in claim 47 wherein amounts of energy are detected in the left and right sides of the user'"'"'s brain and the response is determined by a difference between the right side energy and the left side energy.

54. A method of objectively determining a response of a user to an event in media, comprising:

detecting a physical orientation of the head of the user while the user experiences the event; and

determining a reaction of the user to the event based at least in part on the detected orientation of the user'"'"'s head.

55. A method as defined in claim 54 wherein physical orientation of the user'"'"'s head includes movement of the user'"'"'s head.

56. A method as defined in claim 55 wherein the determined reaction includes the user speaking.

57. A method for objectively determining a response of a user to an event in media, comprising:

detecting a level of oxygen in blood of the user; and

determining a reaction of the user to the event based on the detected level of oxygen.

58. A method as defined in claim 57 wherein the level of oxygen is used to determine a characteristic of the user'"'"'s pulse to determine the reaction to the event.

59. A method as defined in claim 57 wherein the level of oxygen is used to measure breathing coherence of the user during the event.

60. A method as defined in claim 57 wherein the level of oxygen is related to a characteristic of the user'"'"'s breathing.

61. A method as defined in claim 60 wherein the characteristic is a breathing rate of the user.

62. A method as defined in claim 57 wherein the level of oxygen is used to determine a heart rate of the user.

63. A method as defined in claim 62 wherein the reaction of the user is related to a level of excitement of the user.