Blink as you sync - uncovering eye and nod synchrony in conversation using wearable sensing

Aman Gupta, Finn L. Strivens, Benjamin Tag, Kai Kunze, Jamie A. Ward

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference PaperResearchpeer-review

22 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We tend to synchronize our movements to the person we are talking to during face-to-face conversation. Higher interpersonal synchrony is linked to greater empathy and more effortless interactions. This paper presents a first method and a corresponding dataset to explore synchrony in natural conversation by capturing eye and head movement using commodity smart eyewear. We present a 17 hour dataset, using Electrooculography and inertial sensing, of 42 people in conversation (21 dyads: 10 in Japanese, 10 in English, 1 in Chinese). Initial results on 18 dyads show significant interpersonal synchrony of blink and head nod behaviour during conversation (at frequencies of 0.2 to 0.5 Hz). We also find that people are more likely to synchronise blinks at around 1 Hz when conversing back-to-back than when face-to-face.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 2019 ACM International Symposium on Wearable Computers
EditorsUlf Blanke, Antavi Gmbh
Place of PublicationNew York NY USA
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Pages66-71
Number of pages6
ISBN (Electronic)9781450368704
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes
EventIEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2019 - London, United Kingdom
Duration: 9 Sept 201913 Sept 2019
Conference number: 23rd
https://dl.acm.org/doi/proceedings/10.1145/3341163 (Website)

Publication series

NameProceedings - International Symposium on Wearable Computers, ISWC
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery (ACM)
ISSN (Print)1550-4816

Conference

ConferenceIEEE International Symposium on Wearable Computing 2019
Abbreviated titleISWC 2019
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityLondon
Period9/09/1913/09/19
Internet address

Keywords

  • Eye tracking
  • Interpersonal synchrony
  • Wearable sensing

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