Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
  • G06Q30/0201—Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
  • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • G06Q30/00—Commerce
  • G06Q30/02—Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising

Definitions

• Affect itself is commonly defined along two continuous dimensions: valence
• the present invention is primarily focused on the single dimension of valence.
• Valence can be broadly defined as the emotional value associated with a stimulus.
• Everyday objects, such as a coffee mug or the label on a juice carton will likely generate a weaker or more subtle valence response, which the Applicant has identified and refers to as the stimuli's micro-valence.
• This valence is described as "micro" because the intensity of the response is less than the intensity for a strongly affective stimulus, such as a bloodied weapon or a chocolate cupcake.
• this weak intensity should not be confused with a weak effect.
• Sternberg's (1966) classic digit memory search exhibited an effect of less than 40 milliseconds per an item in memory.
• micro-valences arise from an integration of visual properties and learned associations. Moreover, these two attributes may potentially interact in that it may be easier to form positive associations with objects already possessing "positive" perceptual features.
• micro-valences function to optimize one's ability to either select or orientate towards objects with a positive micro-valence and away from those with a negative micro-valence.
• individuals make multiple unconscious decisions: what mug to use for our morning coffee, what pen to sign with, and what bottle of water to purchase.
• Applicant submits that these decisions are facilitated by micro-valences computed during perception, which can be used to reduce uncertainty and/or to orientate towards some objects and away from others. Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a method and system for measuring and quantifying how individuals perceive and respond to valences and, more particularly, to the more subtle micro-valences.
• the claimed invention is directed to a method and system for measuring response to stimuli and, more particularly, provides a method and system for measuring and quantifying how individuals perceive and respond to valences and micro- valences. It enables inferences to be made about an "implicit attitude" that one might have towards a particular stimulus, such as a particular object, a group of objects, a race, and the like.
• An implicit attitude is defined as a bias of belief held by an individual about the stimuli that is automatically or unconsciously elicited when the stimulus is encountered.
• the method comprises: exposing at least one individual, via a processing device, to at least one valence-measuring paradigm in which the at least one individual is exposed to a plurality of stimuli and is required to provide a spontaneous, i.e., automatic, response directed to at least one of said plurality of stimuli;
• MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Figure 1 illustrates how valence can be regarded as an object property.
• Figure 2 presents histograms of micro-valence scores generated by each individual in Paradigm 1.
• Figure 4 presents the eight of the most negative and eight of the most positive shapes derived from a valence norming pilot experiment we conducted. The objects grouped under (a) were rated as negative, and the objects grouped under (b) were rated as positive. Note the shape and color consistency across the two different groups.
• Figure 5 illustrates a crossover interaction in that demonstrates that participants are faster to make lexical decisions for words where the prime and target match in valence, compared to when they are mismatched.
• Figure 6 presents activation threshold at p ⁇ .05 for SP-SN in green (a) and MP-MN in purple (b) plotted on an inflated left hemisphere.
• Figure 7 graphs the time course activation for all four experimental conditions from an anatomically defined region of interest in left prefrontal cortex.
• Figure 8 shows the location of the Lateral Occipital Cortex (LOC) cluster (a) defined from an objects-scrambled localizer (peak MNI coordinate -42, -78, 9) that is used in the Region of Interest (ROI) analysis presented in (b).
• LOC Lateral Occipital Cortex
• Figure 9 illustrates how the valence perceived during object recognition relates to decision-making and arousal.
• Figure 10 illustrates a process for using various paradigms and stimuli to organize and analyze data pertaining to consumer preferences.
• valence can be thought of as a general property of perception and is used, via the claimed invention,to effectively predict choice behavior and decision-making.
• stimuli where the valence is less intense e.g. everyday objects, shapes, colors, patterns, or fragments of objects
• micro micro valence
• brain and behavior experimental paradigms are used to measure individual's perceptions of valence and micro- valence.
• a series of brain for example, human functional Magnetic resonance Imaging (MRI)
• behavior for example, computer-based human psychophysics experiments (trials)
• valence measures neuropsychological tools to predict consumer preferences to different forms of perceptual information.
• the signals from the human brain and the individual's behavioral response can be used to predict preference when people are encountering a variety of stimuli and their sub-features (e.g., products, brands, logos, packaging, banner ads, and advertisements, shape, color, pattern, and material properties).
• a method performed by one or more processing devices includes the following: obtaining high-quality end-user (e.g., consumer) testing experimental data indicative of experiments associated with predicting end-user behavior;
• a prediction includes a value indicative of whether a visual entity is predicted to have an effect on a person's preference, choice, decision-making, and action.
• This valence value can be composed as a valence "score" that can be assigned to the valence.
• an object's micro-valence is perceived rapidly, often times without conscious awareness.
• Figure 1 illustrates how valence can be regarded as an object property.
• the example object of a teapot illustrates how valence is not just a feature of objects with a strong and pronounced valence, but is also potentially a property of all every day, seemingly neutral objects.
• Paradigm 1 or the "gifting trial” an individual is prompted to subconsciously and spontaneously (i.e., automatically) report the valence of stimuli (e.g., a visually perceived object) indirectly. Participants select objects that they would most like to keep or return given two or more options.
• the options could have been given, for example, as birthday gifts, wedding gifts, holiday gifts, reward dividends or any other option that requires the individual to make a choice.
• the stimuli are presented rapidly, with only a brief response window to encourage participants towards an automatic, and away from a controlled, level of processing.
• the task in the experiment assesses consistency in response selection both within and across individuals. To that end, each object is repeated multiple times in both tasks.
• the task is replicated in a "keep” condition and a “return” condition and the scores are summed from both tasks. It is the addition of both scores that gives the micro- valence measure.
• Participants are allowed to respond while the stimuli are on the screen or during a timed response window that follows. Participants are instructed to view all the stimuli and then make their response as quickly and as accurately as possible, based only on the stimuli present in the current trial. In this part of the experiment each stimulus is repeated in unique sets for a minimum number of times. The ordering of set presentations is randomized across participants, but the actual object combinations within a given set are the same across participants. This design allows for consistency assessment across participants.
• the "return” condition is identical to the "keep” condition just described, but here participants decide which of the options presented they would most like to return.
• the "keep” condition is designed to index the positive dimension of micro-valence, whereas the “return” condition is designed to index the negative dimension. The ordering of these two conditions is counter balanced across participants.
• a point is added to a stimulus every time it is selected in the keep condition (or anything that gets at choosing to keep) and subtracted a point every time it is selected in the return condition (or choosing to give back).
• the micro-valence scores range from -5 to +5.
• the micro-valence scores range from -6 to +6.
• Figure 2 presents histograms of micro- valence scores generated by each individual in Paradigm 1.
• the horizontal axis represents the score for a given stimuli, and the vertical axis represents the number of participants that rated the stimuli with the particular micro-valence score. Histograms colored in red indicate objects with a distribution significantly skewed towards positive, whereas histograms colored in blue indicate objects with a distribution significantly skewed towards negative. Significance was measured by distributions where the 95% confidence intervals for the distribution did not span zero.
• the scores for an individual or when averaged across groups of individuals can be used to predict consumer behavior.
• the participants consistently select objects that they perceive to have a positive micro-valence in the keep task, yet rarely select them in the return task.
• the opposite pattern is examined for response for objects perceived to have a negative micro-valence. While this embodiment has been described primarily in terms of Paradigm 1, those skilled in the art will recognize that the methods of the present invention could also be used for other applications that involve consumer choice.
• Paradigm 2 constitutes a more direct measure of valence.
• Stimuli are initially presented in a random location on a display screen (e.g., a computer, a projection screen, a tablet, a mobile device, or a TV).
• the participant is tasked with ordering the images from most positive to most negative along the dimension of valence. From the ranked order, relative valence strengths of each stimulus are computed.
• a timer is used in each trial and participants are instructed to order the objects as quickly as possible based on their initial, automatic assessment of valence.
• the duration of this timer can vary depending on the specific goals of the task and the number of stimuli presented.
• participant are presented the stimuli randomly assigned to a position on the screen.
• the participants' task is to rank the stimuli from left to right, with far left being the most negative and far right being the most positive. In some instances, scrolling over a thumbnail of the stimulus with the cursor will enlarge the image to a suitable size dependent on the number of stimuli on the screen and the size of the screen. Participants use the cursor to drag the stimulus to their desired position on screen. If the experiment is presented using touch screen technology, the participant uses a finger to drag the object across the screen. Participants are given a discrete amount of time to complete this task, dependent on the number of stimuli that need to be ordered. At a pre-determined time before their total time elapses, a stopwatch timer is presented in the top left hand corner to indicate to the participant the amount of time remaining.
• x-y screen pixel co-ordinates are recorded for each stimulus from which ranking positions are assigned.
• the object in the far left (most negative) position on the screen is assigned a 1, and the object in the far right (most positive) position is assigned the maximum number of images that the trial includes, for example, if there are 12 images total, then the most positive image would receive a score of 12.
• the ranked position number for each image is then correlated with the corresponding score from Paradigm 1.
• reasonably strong consensus is observed for micro-valence in Paradigm 1, for each object that is used in the group averages to compute a correlation between Paradigm 1 and Paradigm 2. Integrating the values/scores from various Paradigms allows "weighting" of the representation of valence and provides a more distributed representation of valence.
• Each dot represents the average ratings for a single stimulus on both tasks. Dots are color coded according to their basic level category. The distribution of colored dots indicates the correlation is not driven by a preference for a particular object category.
• Paradigm 3 participants are presented with a single stimulus above an image of a line. The participant is told that the line ranges along the dimension of valence from most negative on the left to most positive on the right. The participant is instructed to use the cursor to click a point on the line that corresponds to how positive or negative they perceive the stimulus. When this is conducted on a touch screen device, participants drag a point along the line to indicate the direction and strength of their perceived valence of the stimulus.
• Paradigm 4 a process known to those skilled in the art as the Affective Lexical Priming Score (ALPS) (Lebrecht et al 2009) is used, in which participants see a stimulus presented on screen for less than 1000 milliseconds. Following a less than 100 milliseconds inter-stimulus interval the participant is presented with a letter-string that is either a real word (for example, "love") or a non-word (for example, "malk”). On any given trial, participants are instructed to decide whether the letter string is a real word or a non- word and to make their response as quickly and as accurately as possible.
• the content of the stimuli varies dependent on the goals of the task. There is always a neutral version of whatever stimulus category is used to ensure that each participant's baseline response time can be calculated and used in the analysis.
• Paradigm 4 is about matching the valence of images and words. If the valence matches (even if the image and word are semantically unrelated - i.e. cake and sunshine) individuals are faster to respond when they are making a word or non-word decision. The fact that the stimuli and the task appear unrelated acts as evidence that the process of valence evaluation is automatic (i.e. happens independently of the explicit demands of the task). This is what happens in cognitive experiments measuring "implicit" attitudes. Individuals have a great deal of
• the response time for each trial is calculated and then subtracted from the participant's baseline, which is calculated from their response time in neutral trials.
• the response times are averaged across conditions to determine the strength of association between the stimulus and the word (Figure 5).
• Figure 5 illustrates a crossover interaction which demonstrates that participants are faster to make lexical decisions for words where the prime and target match in valence, compared to when they are mismatched.
• target word valence is presented on the horizontal axis and prime valence is indicated by either a dashed line for positive object primes or a solid line for negative object primes.
• the facilitation in response time is measured in milliseconds and represented on the vertical axis; it is computed by subtracting response times from a neutral word baseline. Scores above zero indicate a facilitated response, whereas scores below zero indicate an inhibited response.
• Paradigm 5 functional neuroimaging is used to identify the perception of valence as coded in the human brain. This paradigm takes advantage of the fact that valence operates along a continuum, which is measured using the Blood Oxygen Level
• Applicant separates out fine grain differences in the BOLD response that correspond to differences in the perceived valence of the stimuli and uses these differences to predict consumer perceptions and choice patterns and behaviors.
• this paradigm involves the use of an experiment set up as follows: whilst in an MRI machine, participants are presented with a single stimulus for less than 1000 milliseconds in the center of a white screen and asked to rate it for pleasantness on a 1-4 scale using a response box. Participants are able to respond while the stimulus is on the screen, or during a timed response window that follows (this may vary depending on the overall structure of the trial). Trials are separated by a 12 second Inter-Trial Interval ( ⁇ ), during which time participants focus on a central red fixation cross.
• ⁇ Inter-Trial Interval
• the fMRI procedure can include a number of experimental runs that vary dependent on the total number of stimuli in the experiment. Runs containing stimuli that generate a micro- valence perception occur first in the experimental session, followed by stimuli that generate the perception of a stronger valence. Within a given run of this type the presentation of positive and negative objects are randomized. Participants are given the task instructions outside of the MRI machine, but at the beginning of each run an instruction screen is presented for, in one example, 10 seconds as a reminder. The instruction screen is followed by 10 seconds of fixation before the onset of the first trial.
• Paradigm 6 stimuli are presented every second in blocks that can vary from 12 to 18 seconds; these blocks are followed by blocks of fixation that may vary from 6 to 8 seconds. Each block contains repetitions of the same stimulus identity, sometimes at variations in viewpoint, size, and location on the screen in an effort to reduce habituation of the BOLD signal during stimulus repetitions.
• Paradigm 6 shares the same goals as Paradigm 5, with the additional goal of being able to read out the valence activation that corresponds to the valence perception for a single stimulus so that it can be compared to other closely related stimuli.
• the present invention can include localization within a particular individual, generation of a group map across individuals, and generalizing localization from the group results to new individuals. This allows predictions to be made for people not tested.
• the Region of Interest (ROI) in the bilateral regions of the Inferior Frontal Sulcus located in the prefrontal cortex can be localized from these type of scans by subtracting activation from any of the following: stimuli minus their phase scrambled counter parts; positive stimuli minus negative stimuli; positive stimuli minus neutral stimuli; negative stimuli minus neutral stimuli.
• an fMRI method is used for both Paradigm 5 and 6.
• a whole brain imaging is performed on, in one example, a Siemens 3 Tesla TIM Trio MRI Scanner, in another example a Siemens Verio 3 Tesla Scanner (other MRI machines with a minimum Tesla of 3.0 work equally well for this process).
• high- resolution Tl -weighted (magnetization-prepared rapid- acquisition gradient echo) anatomical images are collected [e.g., TR, 1900 ms; TE, 2.98 s; flip angle 9o; 160 sagittal slices lxlxlmm].
• Experimental runs and localizer runs are acquired using a gradient-echo echoplanar sequence [e.g., repetition time (TR), 2 sees; echo time (TE), 30 ms; flip angle, 90o; 40 slices; 3x3x3mm].
• Stimuli are presented on a computer and displayed on a rear projection system via a mirror attached to a 32-channel head coil.
• Manual responses are collected using a Mag Design and Engineering four-button response pad and recorded using Psychophysical Toolbox (Brainard, 1997; Kleiner et al., 2007) running within Matlab, E-Prime, and other data collection and presentation software.
• Those skilled in the art know that there can be other variations on the specific scanning parameters and such variations are considered as covered by the appended claims.
• the fMRI data is analyzed using, in one example, SPM8 (a version of a particular Statistical Parametric Mapping software program).
• SPM8 a version of a particular Statistical Parametric Mapping software program
• the following procedure can also be conducted using, for example, SPM5, Brain Voyager, AFNI, FSL, Freesurfer, or any functional MRI preprocessing or analysis software.
• functional images are corrected for differences in slice time acquisition by resampling all slices to match the first slice. Using sine interpolation, images are motion corrected across all runs.
• the functional data is then normalized (based on, for example, the Montreal Neurological Institute MNI or Talairach stereotaxic space) and if smoothed, smoothed with an 8mm or 6mm full- width at half- maximum isotropic Gaussian kernel.
• Figure 6 presents activation threshold at p ⁇ .05 for SP-SN in green (a) and MP-MN in purple (b) plotted on an inflated left hemisphere.
• the yellow box highlights the adjacency of activation for the strong and micro conditions in the inferior frontal sulcus and the orange box highlights a similar spatial relationship in a slightly more dorsal region of prefrontal cortex (PFC).
• PFC prefrontal cortex
• the activation on strong negative trials is subtracted from strong positive trials (SP-SN). This reveals that the valence information is coded in the prefrontal cortex, indicated by the activation plotted in Figure 6a.
• a region of interest method is used to test whether the intensity of perceived valence operates on a continuum. Based on a priori predictions that the prefrontal cortex contributes to object recognition via top-down projections and the orbitofrontal cortex is engaged in value processing, an anatomical region of interest is drawn that encompasses the left prefrontal cortex. The results within this ROI indicate a continuum of valence.
• Figure 7 graphs the time course activation for all four experimental conditions from an anatomically defined region of interest in left prefrontal cortex. The percent signal change is noted on the vertical axis and the horizontal axis represents the progression of time.
• the neural underpinnings of valence processing as they relate to object recognition are examined.
• the lateral occipital cortex (LOC) is known to be a key area in the processing of objects.
• LOC responses are examined to determine whether or not they reflect any information pertaining to the valence of objects.
• a region of interest is selected from the functionally defined LOC (from the objects minus scrambled group map).
• Figure 8 shows the location of the Lateral Occipital Cortex (LOC) cluster (a) defined from an objects-scrambled localizer (peak MNI coordinate -42, -78, 9) that is used in the Region of Interest (ROI) analysis presented in (b).
• Figure 9 illustrates how the valence perceived during object recognition relates to decision-making and arousal.
• All valence metrics generated during perception can feed forward into choice and decision-making systems, regardless of their strength value.
• only valences that exceed a particular strength magnitude are projected to the arousal system and generate a complete affective response.
• Figure 10 illustrates a process for using various paradigms and stimuli to organize and analyze data pertaining to consumer preferences.
• a data presentation toolbox allows investigators to collect data regarding the valence and micro-valence of stimuli in a variety of functional neuroimaging and behavioral paradigms. This toolbox allows investigators to input their own stimuli into pre-defined paradigms.
• a software analysis toolbox is used where users can enter in their own stimuli and compare the effectiveness of each stimuli based on a score that the software computes from the experimental signal.
• a database containing a variety of information derived from a range of valence and micro-valence experiments provides a tool for data interpretation ( Figure 10).
• the experiments can be used to ascertain two critical aspects of visual trademarks: valence and distinctiveness.
• trademarks independent of their role as indicia, may be perceived as positive or negative in and of themselves.
• entities employing trademarks desire indicia that convey positive valence that is then transferred to the entity or product itself.
• trademark law requires that indicia be either inherently distinctive or acquire distinctiveness over time. In either instance, this is a perceptual and cognitive question that can only be addressed by appropriate psychological and neuroscientific testing as to how perceivers relate the indicia in question relative to other indicia in the marketplace.
• trademarks may be rendered far more protected in trademark disputes if the trademark holder has previously established during creation of the mark that it is treated as distinctive from both psychological and neuroscientific perspectives.
• these tools may be employed during trademark development, during promotion, and during life-time product marketing, all directed at consumers or relevant target audiences.
• Software programming code which embodies the present invention is typically stored in permanent storage. In a client/server environment, such software programming code may be stored with storage associated with a server.
• the software programming code may be embodied on any of a variety of known media for use with a data processing system, such as a diskette, or hard drive, or CD ROM.
• the code may be distributed on such media, or may be distributed to users from the memory or storage of one computer system over a network of some type to other computer systems for use by users of such other systems.
• the techniques and methods for embodying software program code on physical media and/or distributing software code via networks are well known and will not be further discussed herein.
• program instructions may be provided to a processor to produce a machine, such that the instructions that execute on the processor create means for implementing the functions specified in the illustrations.
• the computer program instructions may be executed by a processor to cause a series of operational steps to be performed by the processor to produce a computer- implemented process such that the instructions that execute on the processor provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the illustrations. Accordingly, the figures support combinations of means for performing the specified functions, combinations of steps for performing the specified functions, and program instruction means for performing the specified functions.
• the claimed system can be embodied using a processing system, such as a computer, having a processor and a display, input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or camera, and output devices, such as speakers, hard drives, and the like.
• a processing system such as a computer, having a processor and a display, input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or camera, and output devices, such as speakers, hard drives, and the like.
• This system comprises means for carrying out the functions disclosed in the claims (Means for exposing, means for calculating, means for storing, means for providing, means for correlating, etc.).

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