Identifying key media events and modeling causal relationships between key events and reported feelings

• US 8,347,326 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2007
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nielsen Consumer LLC (Nielsen Holdings plc)
• Original Assignee: Nielsen Company (US) LLC (RR Donnelley & Sons Company)
• Inventors: Weitzenfeld, Daniel, Fettiplace, Michael R., Lee, Hans C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheleheda, James R
• Application Number:
  US11/959,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,841 Days
• Field of Search: 725/24, 725/10, 725/12, 705/14.41, 705/14.44, 705/7.29
• US Class Current: 725/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/33 Arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/73 using meta-information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44218 Detecting physical presence or behaviour of the user, e.g. using sensors to detect if the user is leaving the room or changes his face expression during a TV program methods or arrangements for recognising human body or animal bodies or body parts G06V40/10; methods or arrangements for acquiring or recognising human faces, facial parts, facial sketches, facial expressions G06V40/16; methods or arrangements for recognising movements or behaviour G06V40/20; arrangements for identifying users in broadcast systems H04H60/45

Abstract

A novel approach enables an event-based framework for evaluating a media instance based on key events of the media instance. First, physiological responses are derived and aggregated from the physiological data of viewers of the media instance. The key events in the media instance can then be identified, wherein such key events drive and determine the viewers'"'"' responses to the media instance. Causal relationship between the viewers'"'"' responses to the key events and their surveyed feelings about the media instance can further be established to identify why and what might have caused the viewers to feel the way they do.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

obtaining first physiological response data from a first subject exposed to media and second physiological response data from a second subject exposed to the media;

aggregating the first physiological response data and the second physiological response data to form aggregated physiological response data;

correlating the aggregated physiological response data to the media;

processing, using a processor, the aggregated physiological response data to identify a first transition representative of a change between a positive response and a negative response;

calculating, using the processor, a derivative of the aggregated physiological response data to identify a second transition representative of a change in rate of an increasing positive response, a decreasing positive response, an increasing negative response or a decreasing negative response;

parsing the media into a plurality of events based on one or more of the first transition or the second transition;

identifying a first one of the events as associated with an undesired physiological response; and

identifying the first event as a candidate for modification based on the undesired response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the physiological response comprises one or more of a heart rate, a brain wave, an electroencephalographic signal, a blink rate, a breathing pattern, a motion, a muscle movement, a galvanic skin response or a change in emotion.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising processing the aggregated physiological response data to identify a third transition representative of a change in aggregated physiological response data from above average to below average or from below average to above average.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is undesirable if the event polarizes the subjects.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first event is undesirable if the physiological response to the first event varies across a demographic factor.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

obtaining survey data from the first and second subjects; and

running a multivariant regression analysis based on the first and second physiological response data and the survey data to determine which of the events drive the survey data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising parsing the media into the events based on hypothesized events.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the media comprises one or more of a video, an audio, an advertisement, a move, a computer application, a printed media, a video game, a website, or a live performance.

9. A system, comprising:

an interface to obtain first physiological response data from a first subject exposed to media and second physiological response data from a second subject exposed to the media; and

a processor to;

aggregate the first physiological response data and the second physiological response data to form aggregated physiological response data;

correlate the aggregated physiological response data to the media;

process the aggregated physiological response data to identify a first transition representative of a change between a positive response and a negative response;

calculate a derivative of the aggregated physiological response data to identify a second transition representative of a change in rate of an increasing positive response, a decreasing positive response, an increasing negative response or a decreasing negative response;

parse the media into a plurality of events based on one or more of the first transition or the second transition;

identify a first one of the events as associated with an undesired physiological response; and

identify the first event as a candidate for modification based on the undesired response.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the physiological response comprises one or more of a heart rate, a brain wave, an electroencephalographic signal, a blink rate, a breathing pattern, a motion, a muscle movement, a galvanic skin response or a change in emotion.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is to process the aggregated physiological response data to identify a third transition representative of a change in aggregated physiological response data from above average to below average or from below average to above average.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first event is undesirable if the event polarizes the subjects.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the first event is undesirable if the physiological response to the first event varies across a demographic factor.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the interface is to obtain survey data from the first and second subjects, and the processor is to run a multivariant regression analysis based on the first and second physiological response data and the survey data to determine which of the events drive the survey data.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is to parse the media into the events based on hypothesized events.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the media comprises one or more of a video, an audio, an advertisement, a move, a computer application, a printed media, a video game, a website, or a live performance.

17. A tangible machine readable storage device or storage disc comprising instructions, which when executed, cause a machine to at least:

obtain first physiological response data from a first subject exposed to media and second physiological response data from a second subject exposed to the media;

aggregate the first physiological response data and the second physiological response data to form aggregated physiological response data;

correlate the aggregated physiological response data to the media;

process the aggregated physiological response data to identify a first transition representative of a change between a positive response and a negative response;

calculate a derivative of the aggregated physiological response data to identify a second transition representative of a change in rate of an increasing positive response, a decreasing positive response, an increasing negative response or a decreasing negative response;

parse the media into a plurality of events based on one or more of the first transition or the second transition;

identify a first one of the events as associated with an undesired physiological response; and

identify the first event as a candidate for modification based on the undesired response.

18. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the physiological response comprises one or more of a heart rate, a brain wave, an electroencephalographic signal, a blink rate, a breathing pattern, a motion, a muscle movement, a galvanic skin response or a change in emotion.

19. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the machine to process the aggregated physiological response data to identify a third transition representative of a change in aggregated physiological response data from above average to below average or from below average to above average.

20. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the first event is undesirable if the event polarizes the subjects.

21. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the first event is undesirable if the physiological response to the first event varies across a demographic factor.

22. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the machine to obtain survey data from the first and second subjects, and run a multivariant regression analysis based on the first and second physiological response data and the survey data to determine which of the events drive the survey data.

23. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the instructions cause the machine to parse the media into the events based on hypothesized events.

24. The storage device or storage disc of claim 17, wherein the media comprises one or more of a video, an audio, an advertisement, a move, a computer application, a printed media, a video game, a website, or a live performance.