In an era where we are creating brain controlled airplanes, neurogaming, and robots that learn behavior by reading human emotions, there appear to be no limits in having search engines read human emotions in order to improve search results based on the neurological feedback they receive from user’s brain waves. Thanks to companies such as Interaxon and Emotiv, EEG devices have readily been made available to researchers interested in neuro-related studies, who otherwise would have not had access to expensive fMRI machines. Although the two devices measure different entities of the brain, nonetheless, EEG devices help enthusiastic, but low budget, researchers (such as me!) conduct neuro-related studies.
My doctoral research topic aims to examine cognitive relationships between dimensions of human emotions and information retrieval, as in search performance, in the field of neuro information science (Gwizdka, 2012). This study aims to increase our understanding in regards to affective search, improving information systems design practices, and investigating ways to design ‘smart’ information systems that learn and improve search results based on neuro feedback.
To illustrate, emerging expressions, such as “pleasurable engineering” or “emotional design”, have not only become the driving factors in information retrieval system design (Nahl & Bilal, 2007) but also illustrate the important role of emotions in human-computer-interaction. Information retrieval entails complicated cognitive processes, composed of human cognitive processes as well as human physiological and neurological reactions (Picard, 2001). However, our understanding of how emotions affect information retrieval is limited (Nahl & Bilal, 2007), so is our understanding when it comes to the effects of physiological and neurological responses on information retrieval, more specifically on web search performance.
Hence, for us to be able to design better search engines, we need to understand both ‘human-computer-interaction’ as well as ‘brain-computer-interaction’ processes, such that the two not be treated separately.
Keywords: affective information retrieval, affective search, neuro-information science, web search performance, affective information behavior, EEG in information retrieval, emotional design, brain computer interaction
Nilo Sarraf 
June 8th, 2014 at 4:05 pm
> we need to understand both ‘human-computer-interaction’ as well as ‘brain-computer-interaction’ processes, such that the two not be treated separately.
Hi Nllo – yes indeed and check out the work at Laboratory for Animate Technologies
http://www.abi.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/our-research/animate-technologies.html
Mark Sagar How are we advancing artificial intelligence?
Mark is a speaker at Cognitive Computing Forum August 20 – 21 at St. Claire Hotel, San Jose, CA
http://www.cognitivecomputingforum.com
Cheers…..Steve
@sardire
June 9th, 2014 at 6:22 pm
Steve, thanks so much for sharing these links. I already feel jazzed up about the conference. Thanks!
June 9th, 2014 at 8:27 am
Agreat topic and very interested in the outcome. I am sure you will deliver exciting insight.
June 9th, 2014 at 6:21 pm
Hajo, your encouraging words mean the world to me. Appreciate it!
June 10th, 2014 at 2:09 am
The topic emotion in HCI is very important in deed. What we shouldn’t see as too much important is using information-ways from brain direct – without using our senses to the computer.
We should take care on evolutional human habbits.
June 10th, 2014 at 7:55 am
Franz, thank you for your great feedback. I totally agree with you. Senses are are as crucial as the brain waves. For the purpose of my study, since it is a dissertation and the topic needs to be narrowed, I am looking in particular into the brain. But I do have a section dedicated to research on senses. I will be sure to address the points you bring up here in that section, suggesting ways that my study could improve. Thanks!