![\"\"](\"\/crc\/files\/2024\/08\/joshua-chehov-ZSo4axN3ZXI-unsplash.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
As part of our mission, the Communication Research Center offers state-of-the art technology to facilitate our fellows\u2019 ability to advance theory and methods in addressing society\u2019s communication-related challenges. One of our unique resources is a suite of biometric technologies that allow for the measurement of psychophysiological responses \u2013 be it eye movements, facial expressions, galvanic skin response, heart rates, or brain waves. All of this data is conveniently captured within our iMotions software, which runs all the applicable R formulas behind the scenes, allowing you to instantly visualize your biometric data.<\/p>\n
This summer, CRC Lab and Research Manager, Amanda King<\/a>, attended a seminar provided by iMotions to earn their certification in Human Behavior Research with a focus on biosensor modules.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve asked Amanda to share their thoughts on biometric research and some of what they learned during their certification process.<\/p>\n Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>I love this question because whenever I sit down to teach a workshop and ask the students if they have any idea what it is, all I get are blank stares and uncomfortable smiles. I\u2019ve found the easiest way to explain it is \u201cmeasuring the emotional experience of consuming media content.\u201d It\u2019s a bit reductive, but helps folks understand. I try not to inundate students with overly technical terminology, because, at the end of the day, I\u2019m trying to pique their interest and give them the opportunity to dip their toes into the world of biometric research.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a weeklong certification program, at the iMotions lab in Boston. This specific course, there are more advanced courses I hope to attend some day, was designed to build upon the attendee’s basic understanding of human behavior research and how biometric sensors can be integrated into this kind of research. Practitioners from all research areas attended, from marketing and medical to communication and psychology. The first half of the week was to give a high-level overview of the sensors available to us and the latter half was to incorporate these into a study of our design.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>As a bit of a tech nerd, I loved being able to spend time with the multitude of biometric sensors that were at our disposal during the academy. Getting to see the EEG headset \u2013 NeuroElectrics Enobio 8 \u2013 measure brain waves in real time was inspiring. Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>I\u2019m going to get the clich\u00e9 out of the way and say that the only limits are the depths of your imagination and IRB approval, of course. On a more serious note, biometrics can be applied to nearly every aspect of communication research.<\/p>\n An eye-tracker could be used in emerging media research to measure specific design choices within video game development by measuring the length of time between object appearance and user fixation. For instance, if a ledge is painted yellow, what\u2019s the length of time between when the ledge appears on the screen and when the user’s gaze lands on the ledge. This kind of research allows game-developers to make games more accessible for a wider audience, especially those with visual impairments.<\/p>\n A GSR sensor, which measures the changes in sweat gland activity on the skin, can give insight into the state of a subject\u2019s arousal \u2013 whether they\u2019re relaxed or alert. GSR sensors can be used in UX & UI design, user experience and user interface respectively, to give clients an idea of what aspects of their site design needs improvement or alteration.<\/p>\n These are just a few examples! However, I\u2019d like to note that biometric devices are best used in conjunction with one another. They are complementary and a single device may not be able to give you a comprehensive picture.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>Yes! I have a couple I would love to share with you. While this<\/a> is a short read, it makes a very concise and compelling case for good advertising design, which is something I have been unable to stop considering since I finished my bachelor\u2019s in Advertising, all those years ago (thanks, Colby). In a study of 106 people, they were shown two advertisements: one with a baby looking at the participant and one with a baby looking at the text within the ad. Using eye-tracking heat maps, they determined that participants looked at the text more rapidly when the baby was gazing at it. Humans are designed to seek out faces and look to where their gaze is. Quantifying our most basic instincts is something that drew me to research in the first place.<\/p>\n Lastly, a study<\/a> I learned about during my time at the iMotions Academy, was the use of a specific EEG measurement \u2013neural synchrony \u2013 to predict the popularity of a given song. Neural synchrony is, essentially, how well the brain activity of different people aligns when they experience something together. The more synchronized the brain waves are between a group of people, the more likely they are to act similarly; it\u2019s one of the underlying mechanisms for group cooperation and the spread of social phenomena.<\/p>\n 30 participants were asked to rate their musical preferences and were then given two samples from a R&B album and a pop album. Even though most of the participants were self-proclaimed pop fans, the R&B album performed better among participants and, coincidentally, performed better in sales, when released on the market. They found that the greater the neural synchrony between subjects, while listening to an audio clip in a \u201cneural focus group\u201d predicted the amount of \u2018streams\u2019 on Spotify, and did so better than subjects\u2019 self-reports of music-genre proclivity. Their engagement was also measured using EEG, which closely corresponds with recall, which can lead to an increased frequency of streams. Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>As a matter of fact, Dr. Denis Wu<\/a> recently published a study incorporating several of the CRC\u2019s technological offerings: (FEA) facial expression analysis and eye-tracking. The study is \u201cEnjoyment and Appreciation of Political Advertisements: How voters\u2019 Issue Involvement and Congruence with the Sponsor Influence Their Responses and Decisions\u201d<\/a>. Using FEA to capture facial expressions and eye-tracking to measure how long each participant spent looking at stimuli, Dr. Wu was able to positively associate voting decisions with elicited reactions.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Amanda: <\/strong><\/span><\/span>I\u2019m glad you asked! I am happy to provide both demonstrations of our devices and more in-depth workshops for each individual device, for both individuals and in classroom settings. I will, with our new updated technology arriving for the Fall \u201824 semester (don\u2019t get me started, I could wax-poetic for hours), be reworking my current workshop structure. Please feel free to reach out to me if you\u2019re interested; I\u2019m always at the front desk in the basement of 704 or can be contacted at ajk90@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n We\u2019ll be offering more opportunities to learn about biometrics this fall with a colloquium presentation from CRC fellow Dr. Denis Wu<\/a> in September. Moreover, our fall 2024 Dr. Melvin L. DeFleur Lecturer will be Dr. Bart Wojdynski<\/a> from the University of Georgia, Athens whose expertise includes psychophysiological effects of communication technologies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Next Frontier: A Deep Dive into Biometrics with Lab Manager, Amanda King By: Michelle Amazeen As part of our mission, the Communication Research Center offers state-of-the art technology to facilitate our fellows\u2019 ability to advance theory and methods in addressing society\u2019s communication-related challenges. One of our unique resources is a suite of biometric technologies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10,72],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5470"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5483,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470\/revisions\/5483"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/crc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMichelle: How would you explain biometric research to someone who has never heard of it?\u201d
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMichelle: What type of training did you receive this summer?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMichelle: What were the highlights of your training?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nHonestly, being able to mingle and get to know incredible folks with equally incredible minds was an honor. I was the only local attendee, so getting to hear everyone\u2019s story and what brought them to the academy was a true highlight.
\nBeing able to run a full study, with such a wide-breadth of tools available, was very satisfying. When you\u2019re using top of the line modules, the quality of data you collect makes every peak and dip in the recording meaningful; there\u2019s very little \u2018noise\u2019.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nMichelle: What are some of the ways communication researchers could incorporate biometrics into their research?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
EEG headsets can allow researchers to measure the brain waves associated with approach and avoidance behaviors to better understand consumers\u2019 attitudes towards certain brands, and what response their brand elicits. Without getting into the weeds, this is measured by the difference in alpha power (a specific range of brain wave frequency) between the frontal left and right hemispheres of the brain.<\/p>\n
\nMichelle: Are there any articles you\u2019ve discovered that provide a good example of how biometrics have been used for communication research [or more broadly]?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nAs a self-proclaimed \u2018scream queen\u2019, I love all things horror and this study<\/a> has nested inside my brain for well over a decade. Using a heart-rate monitor, researchers were able to determine the scariest movie of all time. With pulses jumping by 28.21% beats per minute, the \u2018Here\u2019s Johnny\u2019 scene<\/a> of Stanley Kubrick\u2019s The Shining<\/i> was determined to be the most horrifying scene of all. Science can be fun!<\/p>\n
\nA lengthy, but worthwhile read.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\nMichelle: Have any CRC fellows published any research studies that incorporated biometric technologies?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nMichelle: How can you help fellows and COM faculty practitioners who might be interested in learning more about biometrics?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n