Computational Simulation of How Emotions are Constructed in Our Brain According to the Theory of Constructed Emotion
Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Tartu Ülikool
Abstract
Understanding emotion is one of the most difficult tasks for computers. Not only is it difficult
for computers, but humankind itself even has different theories of how emotions are
constructed in our mind and how exactly the brain constructs feelings. Most theories about
emotions say that basic emotions are genetically endowed, whereas the theory of constructed
emotion states that our brain constantly uses past experience to guide our actions
and generate emotional feelings and, in each situation a new instance of emotion is generated.
This takes away the generic approach to classify emotions and allows us to describe
emotions in multidimensional values – valence, arousal, and dominance. By describing
emotional sensations on these dimensions, we can start comparing emotional states based
on input and reflect the emotional state on a computer and thus improve the current state of
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This allows creating a simulation that is not trying to
find the best output from learned data by finding common features of the input and expected
output but is emotionally intelligent and generates output based on its current emotional
state. This thesis analyses the possibilities of the given theory about emotions and its possibilities
of implementing it in HCI applications. By improving the emotional intelligence of
these applications, computer programs can become better at evaluating our emotional state
and act accordingly.
Description
Keywords
Emotion recognition, neuroscience