Pierre Chalfoun - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Pierre Chalfoun

Research paper thumbnail of Showing

the positive influence of subliminal cues on learner’s performance and intuition: an ERP study

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction Emotional Retention Agent for Foreign Language E-Learning

Learning a foreign language is often a fun but difficult task. A variety of commercial and non-co... more Learning a foreign language is often a fun but difficult task. A variety of commercial and non-commercial products focused on multimedia content claim to being the perfect vocabulary teacher. However, these products take neither care about the individual differences nor the emotional states that occur in the learning process. In fact, each individual learns in a different way and expresses a different range of emotions during that cognitive process. In this paper, we present an emotional retention agent for the learning of a foreign vocabulary language, namely Portuguese. This agent teaches the words by associating the best adapted hints to the learner's learning style. We present its architecture and discuss the results obtained in an experiment. Previous work Efficiently learning a foreign language is a difficult problem in the current world. Companies have developed language learning software in order to solve this question. For example, Rosetta Stone [1] by Fairfield Language Technologies presents a selection of images and asks to select the one matching the written text and the voices of native speakers. Eurotalk [2] is another company that produces software to learn a foreign language. It uses [1] Rosetta Stone Inc,

Research paper thumbnail of Research Article Subliminal Cues While Teaching: HCI Technique for Enhanced Learning

License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided t... more License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This paper presents results from an empirical study conducted with a subliminal teaching technique aimed at enhancing learner’s performance in Intelligent Systems through the use of physiological sensors. This technique uses carefully designed subliminal cues (positive) and miscues (negative) and projects them under the learner’s perceptual visual threshold. A positive cue, called answer cue, is a hint aiming to enhance the learner’s inductive reasoning abilities and projected in a way to help them figure out the solution faster but more importantly better. A negative cue, called miscue, is also used and aims at obviously at the opposite (distract the learner or lead them to the wrong conclusion). The latest obtained results showed that only subliminal cues, not miscues, could significantly increase learner performance and intuition in a logic-based pr...

Research paper thumbnail of Optimal Affective Conditions for Subconscious Learning in a 3D Intelligent Tutoring System

Abstract. In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a pre... more Abstract. In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a previous novel experiment conducted with a 3D subliminal teaching Intelligent Tutoring System. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Initial results showed great promise by illustrating the positive impact of the subliminal module on the overall emotional state of the learners as well as their learning performances. Indeed, since emotion monitoring is critical in any learning context, we monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learned and while they answered questions. We present a detailed and precise look at the optimal affective conditions that set the best learners apart. We will also explain a most surprising finding: the positive long term impact of subliminal priming on the entire learning process.

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive priming: assessing the use of non-conscious perception to enhance learner’s reasoning ability

Abstract. Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategi... more Abstract. Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategies when interacting with learners. Although these ITS use cog-nitive and logical models to analyze the conscious cognitive processes behind reasoning, we believe that in specific situations during knowledge acquisition, such as reasoning, unconscious cognitive processes are heavily solicited in the brain. In this paper, we will propose a complimentary and novel learning strate-gy to current ITS aimed at enhancing reasoning in a problem solving environ-ment. This approach, called Cognitive Priming, is based on neural correlates of non-conscious perception. We will present two studies that have positively con-ditioned learners and enhanced different dimensions of their reasoning skills by employing a technique based on the science of subliminal perception. We will also present relevant cerebral data recorded throughout the studies and discuss the importance of such findings for the community.

Research paper thumbnail of Developing actionable biometric insights for production teams

Oxford Scholarship Online

In this chapter we describe the challenges and learnings in establishing processes for developing... more In this chapter we describe the challenges and learnings in establishing processes for developing actionable biometric procedures for production teams. The chapter, divided in four main sections, describes the ongoing efforts of recent years to facilitate the incorporation of the science of biometrics into the culture of video game production, as illustrated through several case studies. The end goal is making biometric data an accessible option in the tool chest of user researchers and an ally in the team’s decision-making processes. Throughout the chapter, references to related work in games user research and academia are presented.

Research paper thumbnail of Showing the Positive Influence of Subliminal Cues on Learner’s Performance and Intuition: An ERP Study

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2010

This paper presents results from an empirical study conducted with a novel subliminal teaching te... more This paper presents results from an empirical study conducted with a novel subliminal teaching technique aimed at enhancing learners performance in an ITS. We replicated previous findings with the same technique but in a 2D environment. Non intrusive physiological sensors were used to record affective and cerebral responses. A brain analysis technique called Event-Related Potential (ERP), known to describe and confirm cognitive functions in the brain, provided strong evidence that subliminal cues and miscues were cognitively processed even though reported as not seen. The obtained results showed that only subliminal cues, not miscues, could significantly increase learner performance and intuition in a logic-based problem solving task.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards Advanced Learner Modeling: Discussions on Quasi Real-time Adaptation with Physiological Data

Seventh IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT 2007), 2007

In this paper, we discuss the use of physiological data for quasi real-time adaptation in ITS. We... more In this paper, we discuss the use of physiological data for quasi real-time adaptation in ITS. We present preliminary results where we analyze learners' reactions while using a game-like virtual learning environment. We also discuss the relevance of adding cerebral data to adaptation by the means of an electroencephalogram.

Research paper thumbnail of Optimal Affective Conditions for Subconscious Learning in a 3D Intelligent Tutoring System

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2009

In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a previous nove... more In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a previous novel experiment conducted with a 3D subliminal teaching Intelligent Tutoring System. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Initial results showed great promise by illustrating the positive impact of the subliminal module on the overall emotional state of the learners as well as their learning performances. Indeed, since emotion monitoring is critical in any learning context, we monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learned and while they answered questions. We present a detailed and precise look at the optimal affective conditions that set the best learners apart. We will also explain a most surprising finding: the positive long term impact of subliminal priming on the entire learning process.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of Learners’ Attention While Overcoming Errors and Obstacles: An Empirical Study

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2011

This study investigated learners' attention during interaction with a serious game. We used Kelle... more This study investigated learners' attention during interaction with a serious game. We used Keller's ARCS theoretical model and physiological sensors (heart rate, skin conductance, and electroencephalogram) to record learners' reactions throughout the game. This paper focused on assessing learners' attention in situations relevant to learning, namely overcoming errors and obstacles. Statistical analysis has been used for the investigation of relationships between theoretical and empirical variables. Results from nonparametric tests and linear regression supported the hypothesis that physiological patterns and their evolution are suitable tools to directly and reliably assess learners' attention. Intelligent learning systems can greatly benefit from using these results to enhance and adapt their interventions.

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive Priming: Assessing the Use of Non-conscious Perception to Enhance Learner’s Reasoning Ability

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategies when in... more Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategies when interacting with learners. Although these ITS use cognitive and logical models to analyze the conscious cognitive processes behind reasoning, we believe that in specific situations during knowledge acquisition, such as reasoning, unconscious cognitive processes are heavily solicited in the brain. In this paper, we will propose a complimentary and novel learning strategy to current ITS aimed at enhancing reasoning in a problem solving environment. This approach, called Cognitive Priming, is based on neural correlates of non-conscious perception. We will present two studies that have positively conditioned learners and enhanced different dimensions of their reasoning skills by employing a technique based on the science of subliminal perception. We will also present relevant cerebral data recorded throughout the studies and discuss the importance of such findings for the community.

Research paper thumbnail of Methodical approaches to prove the effects of subliminal perception in ubiquitous computing environments

Proceedings of the 2012 ACM Conference on Ubiquitous Computing - UbiComp '12, 2012

To cope with the rising volume of information in humancomputer interfaces, explicit and attentive... more To cope with the rising volume of information in humancomputer interfaces, explicit and attentive interaction is more and more frequently replaced by implicit means of information exchange, supported by context-and activity-aware systems and applications. The trend of excessive information is, however, still ongoing, calling for further solutions to reduce a persons cognitive load or level of attention. Subliminal interaction techniques are considered a promising approach to deliver information to a person without causing much supplementary workload. This workshop aims at discussing the potential of subliminal perception to improve the information flow for human-computer interaction in the light of the fact that, up to now, the results have been mixed. One group of researchers has provided evidence that subliminal stimulation works, but the other has found that it does not, or even cannot, work. To clarify this issue, experts from various domains attending the workshop will discuss how subliminal effects can be scientifically supported or how a certain claim could be empirically refuted.

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Learner’s Affective States in Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Studies in Computational Intelligence, 2010

Recent works in Computer Science, Neurosciences, Education, and Psychology have shown that emotio... more Recent works in Computer Science, Neurosciences, Education, and Psychology have shown that emotions play an important role in learning. Learner's cognitive ability depends on his emotions. We will point out the role of emotions in learning, distinguishing the different types and models of emotions which have been considered until now. We will address an important issue concerning the different means to detect emotions and introduce recent approaches to measure brain activity using Electroencephalograms (EEG). Knowing the influence of emotional events on learning it becomes important to induce specific emotions so that the learner can be in a more adequate state for better learning or memorization. To this end, we will introduce the main components of an emotionally intelligent tutoring system able to recognize, interpret and influence learner's emotions. We will talk about specific virtual agents that can influence learner's emotions to motivate and encourage him and involve a more cooperative work, particularly in narrative learning environments. Pushing further this paradigm, we will present the advantages and perspectives of subliminal learning which intervenes without conscious perception. Finally, we conclude with new directions to emotional learning.

Research paper thumbnail of Implicit Strategies for Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

Nowadays several researches in Intelligent Tutoring Systems are oriented toward developing emotio... more Nowadays several researches in Intelligent Tutoring Systems are oriented toward developing emotionally sensitive tutors. These tutors use different instructional strategies addressing both learners' cognitive and affective dimensions and rely, for most of them, on explicit strategies and direct interventions. In this paper we propose a new approach to augment these tutors with new implicit strategies relying on indirect interventions. We show the feasibility of our approach through two experimental studies using a subliminal priming technique. We demonstrate that both learners' cognitive and affective states can be conditioned indirectly and show that these strategies produce a positive impact on students' interaction experience and enhance learning.

Research paper thumbnail of AspectWrapper: specification-based automatic testing of aspect-oriented programs

ericbuist.com

Testing is an important technique to detect program faults. Automatic generation of test cases fo... more Testing is an important technique to detect program faults. Automatic generation of test cases for procedural and object-oriented software has been proposed, because writing tests manually is a tedious and time-consuming task, and every modification to the original specification requires changes to the test programs. Aspect-oriented programming is a new technique that focuses on the modularization and encapsulation of crosscutting concerns. The domain of automatic testing of aspect-oriented programs is hardly developed. We ...

Research paper thumbnail of Learning and Performance Increase Observed In a Distant 3D Virtual Intelligent Tutoring System When Using Efficient Subliminal Priming

In this paper we discuss the use of efficient, well thought, subliminal priming in a novel way in... more In this paper we discuss the use of efficient, well thought, subliminal priming in a novel way in the context of a 3D virtual tutoring system. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Various field claimed using subliminal projections but never in the domain of 3D Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Emotion monitoring is critical in any learning context and thus we monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learn. We will present the virtual ...

Research paper thumbnail of La prédiction de la réaction émotionnelle dans un environnement d'évaluation en ligne

Actes de TICE'2006, 2006

Résumé Les émotions jouent un rôle important dans les processus cognitifs, particulièrement dans ... more Résumé Les émotions jouent un rôle important dans les processus cognitifs, particulièrement dans des tâches d'apprentissage et plus précisément l'apprentissage à distance. Détecter la réaction émotionnelle d'un apprenant pour une situation donnée est un élément essentiel dans les environnements d'apprentissage à distance. Néanmoins, prédire à distance la réaction émotionnelle d'un apprenant n'est pas une tâche facile. Dans cet article, nous présentons un agent capable de prédire la réaction émotionnelle d'un ...

Research paper thumbnail of A Theoretical and Empirical Approach in Assessing

This study investigates Serious Games (SG) to assess motivational factors appropriate to an Intel... more This study investigates Serious Games (SG) to assess motivational factors appropriate to an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). An ITS can benefit from SG'elements that can highly support learners' motivation. Thus, identifying and assessing the effect that these factors may have on learners is a crucial step before attempting to integrate them into an ITS. We designed an experiment using a Serious Game and combined both the theoretical ARCS model of motivation and empirical physiological sensors (heart rate, skin ...

Research paper thumbnail of Affect and mental engagement: towards adaptability for intelligent systems

Proceedings of the 23rd International FLAIRS Conference, 2010

This paper discusses novel research conducted to study the direct impact of learner's affect... more This paper discusses novel research conducted to study the direct impact of learner's affective changes on the value of a well established EEG-mental engagement index. An acquisition protocol for recording the electrical activity of the human brain, known as electroencephalography or EEG, was implemented in a learning environment specifically constructed for emotional elicitation. Data was collected from 35 healthy subjects using 8 sensors and two video cameras. A correlation analysis of the engagement index with ...

Research paper thumbnail of Subliminal priming enhances learning in a distant virtual 3D Intelligent Tutoring System

IEEE Multidisciplinary Engineering Education Magazine, 2008

Abstract—In this paper we discuss the use of subliminal priming in a novel way in the context of ... more Abstract—In this paper we discuss the use of subliminal priming in a novel way in the context of a 3D virtual tutoring system. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Subliminal projections have been used in various fields but never in the domain of 3D Intelligent Tutoring Systems. We also monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learn. We will present the virtual environment and the subliminal module used. The results of this study show that learners ...

Research paper thumbnail of Showing

the positive influence of subliminal cues on learner’s performance and intuition: an ERP study

Research paper thumbnail of Introduction Emotional Retention Agent for Foreign Language E-Learning

Learning a foreign language is often a fun but difficult task. A variety of commercial and non-co... more Learning a foreign language is often a fun but difficult task. A variety of commercial and non-commercial products focused on multimedia content claim to being the perfect vocabulary teacher. However, these products take neither care about the individual differences nor the emotional states that occur in the learning process. In fact, each individual learns in a different way and expresses a different range of emotions during that cognitive process. In this paper, we present an emotional retention agent for the learning of a foreign vocabulary language, namely Portuguese. This agent teaches the words by associating the best adapted hints to the learner's learning style. We present its architecture and discuss the results obtained in an experiment. Previous work Efficiently learning a foreign language is a difficult problem in the current world. Companies have developed language learning software in order to solve this question. For example, Rosetta Stone [1] by Fairfield Language Technologies presents a selection of images and asks to select the one matching the written text and the voices of native speakers. Eurotalk [2] is another company that produces software to learn a foreign language. It uses [1] Rosetta Stone Inc,

Research paper thumbnail of Research Article Subliminal Cues While Teaching: HCI Technique for Enhanced Learning

License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided t... more License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. This paper presents results from an empirical study conducted with a subliminal teaching technique aimed at enhancing learner’s performance in Intelligent Systems through the use of physiological sensors. This technique uses carefully designed subliminal cues (positive) and miscues (negative) and projects them under the learner’s perceptual visual threshold. A positive cue, called answer cue, is a hint aiming to enhance the learner’s inductive reasoning abilities and projected in a way to help them figure out the solution faster but more importantly better. A negative cue, called miscue, is also used and aims at obviously at the opposite (distract the learner or lead them to the wrong conclusion). The latest obtained results showed that only subliminal cues, not miscues, could significantly increase learner performance and intuition in a logic-based pr...

Research paper thumbnail of Optimal Affective Conditions for Subconscious Learning in a 3D Intelligent Tutoring System

Abstract. In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a pre... more Abstract. In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a previous novel experiment conducted with a 3D subliminal teaching Intelligent Tutoring System. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Initial results showed great promise by illustrating the positive impact of the subliminal module on the overall emotional state of the learners as well as their learning performances. Indeed, since emotion monitoring is critical in any learning context, we monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learned and while they answered questions. We present a detailed and precise look at the optimal affective conditions that set the best learners apart. We will also explain a most surprising finding: the positive long term impact of subliminal priming on the entire learning process.

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive priming: assessing the use of non-conscious perception to enhance learner’s reasoning ability

Abstract. Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategi... more Abstract. Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategies when interacting with learners. Although these ITS use cog-nitive and logical models to analyze the conscious cognitive processes behind reasoning, we believe that in specific situations during knowledge acquisition, such as reasoning, unconscious cognitive processes are heavily solicited in the brain. In this paper, we will propose a complimentary and novel learning strate-gy to current ITS aimed at enhancing reasoning in a problem solving environ-ment. This approach, called Cognitive Priming, is based on neural correlates of non-conscious perception. We will present two studies that have positively con-ditioned learners and enhanced different dimensions of their reasoning skills by employing a technique based on the science of subliminal perception. We will also present relevant cerebral data recorded throughout the studies and discuss the importance of such findings for the community.

Research paper thumbnail of Developing actionable biometric insights for production teams

Oxford Scholarship Online

In this chapter we describe the challenges and learnings in establishing processes for developing... more In this chapter we describe the challenges and learnings in establishing processes for developing actionable biometric procedures for production teams. The chapter, divided in four main sections, describes the ongoing efforts of recent years to facilitate the incorporation of the science of biometrics into the culture of video game production, as illustrated through several case studies. The end goal is making biometric data an accessible option in the tool chest of user researchers and an ally in the team’s decision-making processes. Throughout the chapter, references to related work in games user research and academia are presented.

Research paper thumbnail of Showing the Positive Influence of Subliminal Cues on Learner’s Performance and Intuition: An ERP Study

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2010

This paper presents results from an empirical study conducted with a novel subliminal teaching te... more This paper presents results from an empirical study conducted with a novel subliminal teaching technique aimed at enhancing learners performance in an ITS. We replicated previous findings with the same technique but in a 2D environment. Non intrusive physiological sensors were used to record affective and cerebral responses. A brain analysis technique called Event-Related Potential (ERP), known to describe and confirm cognitive functions in the brain, provided strong evidence that subliminal cues and miscues were cognitively processed even though reported as not seen. The obtained results showed that only subliminal cues, not miscues, could significantly increase learner performance and intuition in a logic-based problem solving task.

Research paper thumbnail of Towards Advanced Learner Modeling: Discussions on Quasi Real-time Adaptation with Physiological Data

Seventh IEEE International Conference on Advanced Learning Technologies (ICALT 2007), 2007

In this paper, we discuss the use of physiological data for quasi real-time adaptation in ITS. We... more In this paper, we discuss the use of physiological data for quasi real-time adaptation in ITS. We present preliminary results where we analyze learners' reactions while using a game-like virtual learning environment. We also discuss the relevance of adding cerebral data to adaptation by the means of an electroencephalogram.

Research paper thumbnail of Optimal Affective Conditions for Subconscious Learning in a 3D Intelligent Tutoring System

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2009

In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a previous nove... more In this paper we take a closer and in-depth look at initial results obtained from a previous novel experiment conducted with a 3D subliminal teaching Intelligent Tutoring System. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Initial results showed great promise by illustrating the positive impact of the subliminal module on the overall emotional state of the learners as well as their learning performances. Indeed, since emotion monitoring is critical in any learning context, we monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learned and while they answered questions. We present a detailed and precise look at the optimal affective conditions that set the best learners apart. We will also explain a most surprising finding: the positive long term impact of subliminal priming on the entire learning process.

Research paper thumbnail of Assessment of Learners’ Attention While Overcoming Errors and Obstacles: An Empirical Study

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2011

This study investigated learners' attention during interaction with a serious game. We used Kelle... more This study investigated learners' attention during interaction with a serious game. We used Keller's ARCS theoretical model and physiological sensors (heart rate, skin conductance, and electroencephalogram) to record learners' reactions throughout the game. This paper focused on assessing learners' attention in situations relevant to learning, namely overcoming errors and obstacles. Statistical analysis has been used for the investigation of relationships between theoretical and empirical variables. Results from nonparametric tests and linear regression supported the hypothesis that physiological patterns and their evolution are suitable tools to directly and reliably assess learners' attention. Intelligent learning systems can greatly benefit from using these results to enhance and adapt their interventions.

Research paper thumbnail of Cognitive Priming: Assessing the Use of Non-conscious Perception to Enhance Learner’s Reasoning Ability

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategies when in... more Current Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) employ explicit and direct learning strategies when interacting with learners. Although these ITS use cognitive and logical models to analyze the conscious cognitive processes behind reasoning, we believe that in specific situations during knowledge acquisition, such as reasoning, unconscious cognitive processes are heavily solicited in the brain. In this paper, we will propose a complimentary and novel learning strategy to current ITS aimed at enhancing reasoning in a problem solving environment. This approach, called Cognitive Priming, is based on neural correlates of non-conscious perception. We will present two studies that have positively conditioned learners and enhanced different dimensions of their reasoning skills by employing a technique based on the science of subliminal perception. We will also present relevant cerebral data recorded throughout the studies and discuss the importance of such findings for the community.

Research paper thumbnail of Methodical approaches to prove the effects of subliminal perception in ubiquitous computing environments

Proceedings of the 2012 ACM Conference on Ubiquitous Computing - UbiComp '12, 2012

To cope with the rising volume of information in humancomputer interfaces, explicit and attentive... more To cope with the rising volume of information in humancomputer interfaces, explicit and attentive interaction is more and more frequently replaced by implicit means of information exchange, supported by context-and activity-aware systems and applications. The trend of excessive information is, however, still ongoing, calling for further solutions to reduce a persons cognitive load or level of attention. Subliminal interaction techniques are considered a promising approach to deliver information to a person without causing much supplementary workload. This workshop aims at discussing the potential of subliminal perception to improve the information flow for human-computer interaction in the light of the fact that, up to now, the results have been mixed. One group of researchers has provided evidence that subliminal stimulation works, but the other has found that it does not, or even cannot, work. To clarify this issue, experts from various domains attending the workshop will discuss how subliminal effects can be scientifically supported or how a certain claim could be empirically refuted.

Research paper thumbnail of Managing Learner’s Affective States in Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Studies in Computational Intelligence, 2010

Recent works in Computer Science, Neurosciences, Education, and Psychology have shown that emotio... more Recent works in Computer Science, Neurosciences, Education, and Psychology have shown that emotions play an important role in learning. Learner's cognitive ability depends on his emotions. We will point out the role of emotions in learning, distinguishing the different types and models of emotions which have been considered until now. We will address an important issue concerning the different means to detect emotions and introduce recent approaches to measure brain activity using Electroencephalograms (EEG). Knowing the influence of emotional events on learning it becomes important to induce specific emotions so that the learner can be in a more adequate state for better learning or memorization. To this end, we will introduce the main components of an emotionally intelligent tutoring system able to recognize, interpret and influence learner's emotions. We will talk about specific virtual agents that can influence learner's emotions to motivate and encourage him and involve a more cooperative work, particularly in narrative learning environments. Pushing further this paradigm, we will present the advantages and perspectives of subliminal learning which intervenes without conscious perception. Finally, we conclude with new directions to emotional learning.

Research paper thumbnail of Implicit Strategies for Intelligent Tutoring Systems

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2012

Nowadays several researches in Intelligent Tutoring Systems are oriented toward developing emotio... more Nowadays several researches in Intelligent Tutoring Systems are oriented toward developing emotionally sensitive tutors. These tutors use different instructional strategies addressing both learners' cognitive and affective dimensions and rely, for most of them, on explicit strategies and direct interventions. In this paper we propose a new approach to augment these tutors with new implicit strategies relying on indirect interventions. We show the feasibility of our approach through two experimental studies using a subliminal priming technique. We demonstrate that both learners' cognitive and affective states can be conditioned indirectly and show that these strategies produce a positive impact on students' interaction experience and enhance learning.

Research paper thumbnail of AspectWrapper: specification-based automatic testing of aspect-oriented programs

ericbuist.com

Testing is an important technique to detect program faults. Automatic generation of test cases fo... more Testing is an important technique to detect program faults. Automatic generation of test cases for procedural and object-oriented software has been proposed, because writing tests manually is a tedious and time-consuming task, and every modification to the original specification requires changes to the test programs. Aspect-oriented programming is a new technique that focuses on the modularization and encapsulation of crosscutting concerns. The domain of automatic testing of aspect-oriented programs is hardly developed. We ...

Research paper thumbnail of Learning and Performance Increase Observed In a Distant 3D Virtual Intelligent Tutoring System When Using Efficient Subliminal Priming

In this paper we discuss the use of efficient, well thought, subliminal priming in a novel way in... more In this paper we discuss the use of efficient, well thought, subliminal priming in a novel way in the context of a 3D virtual tutoring system. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Various field claimed using subliminal projections but never in the domain of 3D Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Emotion monitoring is critical in any learning context and thus we monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learn. We will present the virtual ...

Research paper thumbnail of La prédiction de la réaction émotionnelle dans un environnement d'évaluation en ligne

Actes de TICE'2006, 2006

Résumé Les émotions jouent un rôle important dans les processus cognitifs, particulièrement dans ... more Résumé Les émotions jouent un rôle important dans les processus cognitifs, particulièrement dans des tâches d'apprentissage et plus précisément l'apprentissage à distance. Détecter la réaction émotionnelle d'un apprenant pour une situation donnée est un élément essentiel dans les environnements d'apprentissage à distance. Néanmoins, prédire à distance la réaction émotionnelle d'un apprenant n'est pas une tâche facile. Dans cet article, nous présentons un agent capable de prédire la réaction émotionnelle d'un ...

Research paper thumbnail of A Theoretical and Empirical Approach in Assessing

This study investigates Serious Games (SG) to assess motivational factors appropriate to an Intel... more This study investigates Serious Games (SG) to assess motivational factors appropriate to an Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS). An ITS can benefit from SG'elements that can highly support learners' motivation. Thus, identifying and assessing the effect that these factors may have on learners is a crucial step before attempting to integrate them into an ITS. We designed an experiment using a Serious Game and combined both the theoretical ARCS model of motivation and empirical physiological sensors (heart rate, skin ...

Research paper thumbnail of Affect and mental engagement: towards adaptability for intelligent systems

Proceedings of the 23rd International FLAIRS Conference, 2010

This paper discusses novel research conducted to study the direct impact of learner's affect... more This paper discusses novel research conducted to study the direct impact of learner's affective changes on the value of a well established EEG-mental engagement index. An acquisition protocol for recording the electrical activity of the human brain, known as electroencephalography or EEG, was implemented in a learning environment specifically constructed for emotional elicitation. Data was collected from 35 healthy subjects using 8 sensors and two video cameras. A correlation analysis of the engagement index with ...

Research paper thumbnail of Subliminal priming enhances learning in a distant virtual 3D Intelligent Tutoring System

IEEE Multidisciplinary Engineering Education Magazine, 2008

Abstract—In this paper we discuss the use of subliminal priming in a novel way in the context of ... more Abstract—In this paper we discuss the use of subliminal priming in a novel way in the context of a 3D virtual tutoring system. Subliminal priming is a technique used to project information to a learner outside of his perceptual field. Subliminal projections have been used in various fields but never in the domain of 3D Intelligent Tutoring Systems. We also monitored the physiological reactions of the user while they learn. We will present the virtual environment and the subliminal module used. The results of this study show that learners ...