Biometric workshops for BU researchers go online

Researchers often rely on participants reporting through surveys, focus groups, and interviews for their work, but such methods can pose certain limitations for understanding how people feel, think, and behave.

So COM’s Communication Research Center hopes to give them new tools this summer that reveal people’s physiological responses to messages beyond their awareness.

CRC will offer Boston University researchers a series of free workshops explaining how to incorporate biometrics into their studies, including facial expression analysis, eye tracking, galvanic skin response (GSR), and electroencephalography (EEG). Participants will learn:

• The theoretical and technical basics of the biometric tool
• The ways in which the biometric tool can be used to augment traditional communication research methods (e.g., focus groups, interviews, and surveys) to form a more nuanced understanding of respondents' reactions and behaviors
• The various forms of data that can be gathered via the biometric tool

The workshops were first offered last fall on campus, and now will be offered online via Zoom due to pandemic restrictions. Each workshop is one hour in duration and repeats on three dates through the summer.

Summer Workshop Schedule:

Facial Expression Analysis:

• Wednesday, June 3, 1:30 - 2:30pm
• Thursday, July 2, 2:30 - 3:30pm
• Friday, July 31, 3:30 - 4:30pm

Eye Tracking

• Wednesday, June 10, 1:30 - 2:30pm
• Thursday, July 9, 2:30 - 3:30pm
• Friday, August 7, 3:30 - 4:30pm

Galvanic Skin Response (GSR)

• Wednesday, June 17, 1:30 - 2:30pm
• Thursday, July 16, 2:30 - 3:30pm
• Friday, August 14, 3:30 - 4:30pm

Electroencephalography (EEG)

• Wednesday, June 24, 1:30 - 2:30pm
• Thursday, July 23, 2:30 - 3:30pm
• Friday, August 21, 3:30 - 4:30pm

Learn more and register.