Method and system for determining audience response to a sensory stimulus

• US 9,514,439 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Marci, Carl D., Levine, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Padot, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US13/657,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20130046577A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.29
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/11 Measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof, e.g. head or hand tremor, mobility of a limb for measuring pulse A61B5/02 ;A61B5/1038 takes precedence; motion detection to correct for motion artifacts in physiological signals A61B5/721
• 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 5/225 of the fingers, e.g. by monitoring hand-grip force
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6897 Computer input devices, e.g. mice or keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method and system for measuring the biologically based responses of an audience to a presentation that provides sensory stimulating experience and determining a measure of the level and pattern of engagement of that audience to the presentation. In particular, the invention is directed to a method and system for measuring one or more biologically based responses of one or more persons being exposed to the presentation in order to determine the moment-to-moment pattern and overall level of engagement. Further, the invention can be used to determine whether the presentation or the content in the presentation is more effective in a population relative to other presentations (or content) and other populations and to help identify elements of the presentation that contribute to the high level of engagement and the effectiveness and success of the presentation for that population.

Claims

1. A method of determining a measure of engagement of an audience for a presentation providing a sensory stimulus comprising:

providing a display operable to expose the audience to the presentation;

providing a plurality of sensors and a facial monitoring system, wherein the plurality of sensors and the facial monitoring system are operable to measure a plurality of biologically based responses to the presentation for each member of the audience;

providing a computer processing system operably connected to the display, plurality of sensors, the facial monitoring system, and the presentation, wherein the presentation is divided into a plurality of time windows, and wherein the computer processing system is operable to synchronize the plurality of sensors, the facial monitoring system, and the presentation and receive data including biologically based responses for each member of the audience associated with each time window, and wherein the computer processing system includes a database of a plurality of stored engagement values based on a plurality of other presentations;

using the display, exposing the audience to the presentation;

using the plurality of sensors and a facial monitoring system, measuring the biologically based responses to each time window for each member of the audience;

using the computer processing system,

storing a first set of data relating to the measured biologically based responses;

determining for each time window at least one intensity value as a function of at least one of the measured biologically based responses;

determining for each time window at least one synchrony value as a function of a rate of change of at least one of the measured biologically based responses, wherein the synchrony value represents a correlation of the change in the at least one of the measured biologically based responses for the plurality of time windows for at least a portion of the audience;

determining for each time window at least one engagement value as a function of at least one intensity value and at least one synchrony value;

comparing the at least one engagement value to at least one stored engagement value to determine at least one indicator of success; and

preparing a report including the at least one indicator of success.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the comparing of the at least one engagement value to the at least one stored engagement value includes indicating that the presentation is similar to a second presentation based on the comparison.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said biologically based responses are chosen from a group of responses including heart rate, skin conductance, respiration rate, respiration state, motion, and combinations thereof.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining said at least one intensity value includes determining a standardized score as a function of at least one of a peak value, a trough value, a median value, an average value and a rate of change value of at least one of the biologically based responses.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein determining said at least one synchrony value includes determining a variance of a rate of change value of at least one of the biologically based responses over at least a portion of the audience.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience includes a single individual exposed to the presentation a plurality of times.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the audience includes a plurality of individuals defined by a plurality of parameters.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of parameters includes demographics, level of interest, physiological profile, psychological profile, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the facial monitoring system is operable to collect behavioral data, facial response, focus data, and combinations thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the facial monitoring system is operable to collect eye-tracking data.

11. A computerized system for determining measure of engagement of an audience for a presentation providing a sensory stimulus, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors and a facial monitoring system, each adapted for measuring a biologically based response to the presentation, wherein the presentation is divided into a plurality of time slots;

a computer processing system operably connected to the plurality of sensors and facial monitoring system and adapted for receiving data relating to the presentation and data from the plurality of sensors and the facial monitoring system relating to at least one biologically based response measured for each audience member for each time slot;

a display operatively connected to the computer processing system capable of exposing the audience to the presentation;

wherein the computer processing system includes;

an intensity processing module adapted for determining, for each time slot, at least one intensity value as a function of at least one of the measured biologically based responses;

a synchrony processing module adapted for determining, for each time slot, at least one synchrony value as a function of at least one of the measured biologically based responses, wherein the synchrony value represents a correlation of the change in the at least one of the measured biologically based responses for the plurality of time windows for at least a portion of the audience;

an engagement processing module adapted for determining, for each time slot, at least one engagement value as a function of said at least one intensity value and said at least one synchrony value; and

a database of stored engagement values,

wherein the system provides a comparison of the at least one engagement value to the at least one stored engagement value.

12. A system according to claim 11, wherein the database further includes:

an indicator adapted for indicating that the presentation is similar to at least one other presentation based on a comparison of the at least one engagement value to the stored engagement values.

13. A system according to claim 11 wherein said biologically based responses are chosen from a group of responses including heart rate, skin conductance, respiration rate, respiration state, motion, and combinations thereof.

14. A system according to claim 11 wherein said intensity processing module is adapted for determining the intensity value as a function of a standardized score and the standardized score is determined as a function of at least one of a peak value, a trough value, a median value, an average value and a rate of change value of at least one of the biologically based responses.

15. A system according to claim 11 wherein said synchrony processing module is adapted for determining the synchrony value as a function of a variance of a rate of change value of at least one of the biologically based responses over at least a portion of the audience.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the facial monitoring system is operable to collect behavioral data, facial response, focus data, and combinations thereof.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the facial monitoring system is operable to collect eye-tracking data.