Method and system for simulating a cross-cultural communication dynamic

• US 8,352,275 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2009
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global Matters, LLC
• Original Assignee: Global Matters, LLC
• Inventors: Neeley, Tsedal Beyene
• Primary Examiner(s): AZAD, ABUL K
• Application Number:
  US12/576,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087480A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 704 1- 10, 704/270, 704/270.1, 704/275, 725/117, 348 1408- 141
• US Class Current: 704/270
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/40 Processing or translation of natural language natural language analysis G06F40/20; semantic analysis G06F40/30

Abstract

One embodiment of the invention is a method for simulating a cross cultural communication dynamic between participants. The simulation includes the steps of distributing unique subsets of the information set to the participants, assigning the participants to a first communication group that represents people for whom a lingua franca is a first language and to a second communication group that represents people for whom the lingua franca is a second language, providing a communication platform that facilitates communication between the participants of the simulation to assemble the unique subsets of the information set, and selectively disadvantaging the communication through the communication platform between a subset of participants.

Claims

1. A method for simulating a cross cultural communication dynamic between a first, second, third, and fourth participant associated with a first, second, third, and fourth input device and output device, respectively, wherein the first, second, third, and fourth participants are fluent in a common language, the method comprising:

receiving a first text input in the common language from the first participant from the first input device;

generating a first output by replacing select words of the first text input with a communication system;

substantially simultaneously transmitting the first text input to the second output device for presentation to the second participant

and transmitting the first output to the third output device for presentation to the third participant;

receiving a second text input in the common language from the fourth participant in a first mode from the fourth input device;

generating a second output by replacing all the words of the second text input with the communication system;

substantially simultaneously transmitting the second output to the first and second output devices for presentation to the first and second participants, respectively,

and transmitting the unaltered second text input to the third output device for presentation to the third participant;

receiving, at a speed slower than second text input receipt, a third text input in the common language from the fourth participant in a second mode from the fourth input device;

generating a third output by replacing select words of the third text input to a second degree with the communication system;

transmitting the third output to the third output device for presentation to the third participant;

generating a fourth output by replacing select words of the third text input to a third degree with the communication system; and

transmitting the fourth output to the second output device for presentation to the second participant.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a frequency of text input receipt from the first participant; and

varying the first degree of word replacement based on the monitored frequency of text input receipt, wherein the proportion of first text input words replaced in the first output is decreased when the frequency of text input receipt decreases.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring a frequency of text input receipt from the fourth participant; and

varying the second and third degrees of word replacement based on the monitored frequency of text input receipt.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the fourth output to the first output device for presentation to the first participant;

monitoring a frequency of text input receipt from the first participant; and

varying the third degree of word replacement based on the monitored frequency of text input receipt, wherein the degree of third text input word replacement in the fourth output is decreased when the frequency of text input receipt decreases.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring word difficulty of text input received from the first participant from the first input device; and

varying the first degree of word replacement based on the monitored word difficulty, wherein the degree of first text input word replacement in the first output is decreased when the difficulty of monitored words decreases.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring an emotion of the first, second, third, and fourth participants; and

decreasing the first, second, and third degrees of word replacement when the monitored emotions of the first, second, third, and fourth participants are determined as more positive.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a fourth text input from the third participant in the first mode from the third input device,

transmitting the fourth text input to the fourth output device for presentation to the fourth participant;

generating a fifth output from the fourth text input by replacing all words of the fourth text input;

transmitting the fifth output to the first and second output devices for presentation to the first and second participants, respectively;

receiving, at a speed slower than fourth text input receipt, a fifth text input from the third participant in the second mode from the third input device;

generating a sixth output from the fifth text input by replacing select words of the fifth text input to a fourth degree;

transmitting the sixth output to the fourth output device for presentation to the fourth participant;

generating a seventh output from the fifth text input by replacing select words of the fifth text input to a fifth degree; and

transmitting the seventh output to the second output device for presentation to the second participant.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving a sixth text input from the second participant from the second input device;

transmitting the sixth text input to the first output device for presentation to the first participant;

generating a eighth output by replacing select words of the sixth text input to a sixth degree; and

transmitting the eighth output to the third output device for presentation to the third participant.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting the first output to the fourth output device for presentation to the fourth participant;

transmitting the fourth output to the first output device for presentation to the first participant;

transmitting the seventh output to the first output device for presentation to the first participant; and

transmitting the eighth output to the fourth output device for presentation to the fourth participant.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the third and fifth degrees of word replacement are higher than the second and fourth degrees of word replacement, such that the fourth output comprises more replaced words than the third output and the seventh output comprises more replaced words than the sixth output.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the third and fourth outputs comprise the same text and the sixth and seventh outputs comprise the same text.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising distributing a first, second, third and fourth unique subset of an information set to the first, second, third, and fourth participants, respectively;

and assigning the first participant with the task of assembling the unique information from the second, third, and fourth participants based on the second output, the seventh output, and sixth text input.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second unique subsets of information contradict the third and fourth unique subsets of information.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising presenting the assembled information to the second, third, and fourth participants.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing select words comprises replacing each selected word with a scrambled version of the word.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing select words comprises replacing each selected word with a word comprising randomly selected letters.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a representation of an amount of time remaining of a given time constraint.

18. A method for simulating a cross-cultural dynamic between a first, second, third and fourth participant associated with a first, second, third, and fourth input device and output device, respectively, the method comprising:

receiving a first communication input from the first participant from the first input device;

generating a first output by replacing a portion of the first communication input by a communication system;

substantially simultaneously transmitting the first communication input to the second output device for presentation to the second participant and transmitting the first output to the third and fourth output device for presentation to the third and fourth participants, respectively;

receiving a second communication input from the second participant from the second input device;

generating a second output by replacing a portion of the second communication input by the communication system;

substantially simultaneously transmitting the second communication input to the first output device for presentation to the first participant and transmitting the second output to the third and fourth output devices for presentation to the third and fourth participants, respectively;

receiving a third communication input from the third participant in a first mode from the third input device;

generating a third output by replacing all of the third communication input by the communication system;

substantially simultaneously transmitting the third communication input to the fourth output device for presentation to the fourth participant and transmitting the third output to the first and second output devices for presentation to the first and second participants, respectively;

receiving, at a slower rate than third communication input receipt, a fourth communication input from the third participant in a second mode from the third input device;

generating a fourth output by replacing a portion of the fourth communication input by the communication system;

transmitting the fourth output to the first, second, and fourth output devices for presentation to the first, second, and fourth participants, respectively;

receiving a fifth communication input from the fourth participant in the first mode from the fourth input device;

generating a fifth output by replacing all of the fifth communication input by the communication system;

substantially simultaneously transmitting the fifth communication input to the third output device for presentation to the third participant and transmitting the fifth output to the first and second output devices for presentation to the first and second participants, respectively;

receiving, at a slower rate than fifth communication input receipt, a sixth communication input from the fourth participant in the second mode from the fourth input device;

generating a sixth output by replacing a portion of the sixth communication input by the communication system; and

transmitting the sixth output to the first, second, and third output devices for presentation to the first, second, and third participants, respectively.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising monitoring a communication input receipt frequency for the first, second, third, and fourth participants;

and decreasing the portions of communication input replaced in the first, second, fourth, and sixth outputs when the communication input receipt frequency for the first second, third and fourth participants decrease.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising monitoring word difficulty for the first, second, third, and fourth participants;

and decreasing the first, second, third, and fourth degrees of word replacement when the word difficulty decreases.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth communication inputs comprise text inputs.