Matthijs Pontier

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | VU · Until 2014-01-01: CAMeRA-Center for Advanced Media Research Amsterdam

To evaluate our emotionally intelligent software, we put a virtual human capable of speech and facial expressions to an updated and enriched version of the traditional Turing test. In a speed-date with 54 young females, either our software or human confederates controlled the simulation of the virtual human’s affective performance. Results were obt...

The perceived weaknesses of philosophical normative theories as machine ethic candidates have led some philosophers to consider combining them into some kind of a hybrid theory. This chapter develops a philosophical machine ethic which integrates “top-down” normative theories (rule-utilitarianism and prima-facie deontological ethics) and “bottom-up...

We present a moral reasoner, Moral Coppélia that combines rational ethical theory with affective states and personality traits. We, moreover, treat human autonomy in the sense of self-determination as well as making a meaningful choice. Our system combines connectionist bottom-up with utilitarian top-down approaches. Moral Coppélia can reproduce th...

In the present paper we show that a computational model of affective moral decision making can fit human behavior data obtained from an empirical study on criminal decision making. By applying parameter tuning techniques on data from an initial sample, optimal fits of the affective moral decision making model were found supporting the influences of...

In healthcare, robots are increasingly being used to provide a high standard of care in the near future. When machines interact with humans, we need to ensure that these machines take into account patient autonomy. Autonomy can be defined as negative autonomy and positive autonomy. We present a moral reasoning system that takes into account this tw...

A group of international top scientists from a diversity of disciplines sat together for five days with artists, designers, and entrepreneurs to develop a trans-disciplinary theory of creativity. Organic Creativity and the Physics Within assumes that creativity is a quality of nature visible in physics as well as in psychology, its basis being comb...

In previous studies, we developed an empirical account of user engagement with software agents. We formalized this model, tested it for internal consistency, and implemented it into a series of software agents to have them build up an affective relationship with their users. In addition, we equipped the agents with a module for affective decision-m...

We present an integration of rational moral reasoning with emotional intelligence. The moral reasoning system alone could not simulate the different human reactions to the Trolley dilemma and the Footbridge dilemma. However, the combined system can simulate these human moral decision making processes. The introduction of affect in rational ethics i...

To develop a robot that is able to recognize and show affective behavior, it should be able to regulate simultaneously occurring tendencies of positive and negative emotions. To achieve this, the current paper introduces a computational model for involvement-distance trade-offs, based on an existing theoretical model. The main mechanisms of this mo...

In aiming for behavioral fidelity, artificial intelligence cannot and no longer ignores the formalization of human affect. Affect modeling plays a vital role in faithfully simulating human emotion and in emotionally-evocative technology that aims at being real. This paper offers a short expose about three models concerning the regulation and genera...

In earlier studies, user involvement with an embodied software agent and willingness to use that agent were partially determined by the aesthetics of the design and the moral fiber of the character. We used these empirical results to model agents that in their turn would build up affect for their users much the same way as humans do for agents. Thr...

Emotion regulation describes how a subject can use certain strategies to affect emotion response levels. Usually, models for emotion regulation assume mechanisms based on feedback loops that indicate how to change certain aspects of behavior or cognitive functioning in order to get a more satisfactory emotion response level. Adaptation of such feed...

In aiming for behavioral fidelity, artificial intelligence cannot and no longer ignores the formalization of human affect. Affect modeling plays a vital role in faithfully simulating human emotion and in emotionally-evocative technology that aims at being real. This paper offers a short expose about three models concerning the generation and regula...

There is a growing belief that the environment plays an important role in the healing process of patients, supported by empirical findings. Previous research showed that psychological stress caused by loneliness can be reduced by artificial companions. As a pilot application for this purpose, this paper presents an affective agent playing tic-tac-t...

In this paper, an extension of a formalized model of affective decision making is presented, based on the informally described I-PEFiC model. This extension manages that the actions agents undertake have an effect on other agents. The agents change their perceptions and beliefs about other agents if actions are taken. Further, the anger level of th...

Affect modeling plays a vital role in faithfully simulating human emotion and in emotionally- evocative technology. Current affect models are still strong simplifications compared to human affective complexity. To establish richer agent interaction, we integrated three affect-related models: CoMERG, I- PEFiC ADM and EMA. These models partly overlap...

To create a robot with a mind of its own, we extended a formalized version of a model that explains affect-driven interaction with mechanisms for goal-directed behavior. We ran simulation experiments with intelligent software agents and found that agents preferred affect-driven decision options to rational decision options in situations where choic...

We are increasingly communicating with robots, and the design of lifelike humanoid robots will face at least five challenges. 1) Robots should meet social needs – people are getting older, lonelier, and are looking for alternatives to face-to-face contact, for instance, in coaching and therapy. 2) Robot designers assume that the better they can sim...

Previous research indicates that self-help therapy is an effective method to prevent and treat unipolar depression. While web-based self-help therapy has many advantages, there are also disadvantages to self-help therapy, such as that it misses the possibility to regard the body language of the user, and the lack of per- sonal feedback on the user...

Previous research suggests that therapies can help people to regulate their emotions, and on the other hand, traumas can cause impaired emotion regulation. This paper introduces a computational model for simulating the effects of events like traumas or therapies on emotion regulation. This model is an extension of an existing computational model of...

Emotion regulation describes how a subject can use certain strategies to affect emotion response levels. Usually, models for emotion regulation assume mechanisms based on feedback loops that indicate how to change certain aspects of behaviour or cognitive functioning in order to get a more satisfactory emotion response level. Adaptation of such fee...

This paper presents an approach to incorporate emotion regulation as addressed within psychology literature into virtual characters. To this end, first Gross' informal theory of emotion regulation has been formalised using a dynami- cal system style modelling approach. Next, a virtual environment has been created, involving a number of virtual agen...

To create a robot with a mind of its own, we ex- tended a formalized version of a model that explains human-robot interaction with mechanisms for goal- directed behavior. By running simulation experi- ments, we found that robots could perceive affor- dances in other agents to achieve their goals and suppress rational decisions in favor of affective...

In the present paper we show that an existing mathematical model of emotion regulation can, if reduced to its reappraisal-specific components, fit skin conductance data obtained from an empirical study of reappraisal. By applying parameter tuning techniques, optimal fits of the model have been found against the (averaged) patterns of the skin condu...

With the increasing dependence on autonomous operating agents and robots the need for ethical machine behavior rises. This paper presents a moral reasoner that combines connectionism, utilitarianism and ethical theory about moral duties. The moral decision-making matches the analysis of expert ethicists in the health domain. This may be useful in m...