A Review of Affective Computing Research Based on Function-Component-Representation Framework [journal]

Three people with connection above they head illustration

Journal

IEEE Transactions on Affective Computing - August 13, 2021

Authors

Haiwei Ma (Ph.D. student), Svetlana Yarosh (associate professor)

Abstract

Affective computing, a field that bridges the gap between human affect and computational technology, has witnessedremarkable technical advancement. However, theoretical underpinnings of affective computing are rarely discussed and reviewed. Thispaper provides a thorough conceptual analysis of the literature to understand theoretical questions essential to affective computing andcurrent answers. Inspired by emotion theories, we proposed the function-component-representation (FCR) framework to organizedifferent conceptions of affect along three dimensions that each address an important question: function of affect (why compute affect),component of affect (how to compute affect), and representation of affect (what affect to compute). We coded each paper by itsunderlying conception of affect and found preferences towards affect detection, behavioral component, and categorical representation.We also observed coupling of certain conceptions. For example, papers using the behavioral component tend to adopt discreterepresentation, whereas papers using the physiological component tend to adopt dimensional representation. The FCR framework isnot only the first attempt to organize different theoretical perspectives in a systematic and quantitative way, but also a blueprint to helpconceptualize an AC project and pinpoint new possibilities. Future work may explore how the identified frequencies of FCR frameworkcombinations may be applied in practice.

Link to full paper

A Review of Affective Computing Research Based on Function-Component-Representation Framework

Keywords

affective computing, human computer interaction, social computing