NAU News
MENUMENU
  • Research & AcademicsReseach & Academics
  • Campus & CommunityCumpos & Community
  • HappeningsHappnings
  • Faculty & StaffFaculty & Staff
  • Blogsinside nau
  • Skip to content

NAU professors starting interdisciplinary biometrics technology lab to enhance research opportunities

February 26, 2018 by Heidi Toth Leave a Comment

biometrics technology

Imagine participating in a research study where you don’t have to answer questions on a survey. Instead, researchers track your heart rate, eye movement and brain wave activity as you read a passage, observe specific images, engage in a game-like task or interact with another person.

These data, known as biometrics, can help researchers understand how a person is truly reacting to stimulus. They are common measurements researchers use to look at what’s happening beyond conscious awareness.

Soon, thanks to a Northern Arizona University Acquisition Program (REAP) award, faculty members at NAU will have the tools to measure these data.

Heidi Wayment, an associate dean in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, led the request for the REAP award, which provides more than $98,000 for the purpose of iMotion hardware and software. The award is intended for acquisitions that at least three labs can use in their research. When Wayment put out a call for interdisciplinary partners, she heard back from seven labs: six in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and one in the College of Arts and Letters. All of those entities provided matching funds for the purchase of the program.

The iMotion technology tracks biometrics, such as facial expressions, eye movements, skin responses, brain activity and more to give researchers more complete and potentially less biased information. Much of the communications and psychology research for which this will be used has relied on participants sharing their thoughts, which can be colored by a number of self-report biases. Biometric measurements are less susceptible to those types of biases.

“Incorporating this type of complex and multi-channel data into our research programs allows us to expand those programs in exciting ways, complementing more traditional research methods,” Wayment said. “This new equipment will allow us to actually detect emotion, physiological responses to stimuli and eye tracking in ways that are less intrusive and perhaps more objective and more sensitive than self-report. Furthermore, the amount and type of data we can collect with this methodology will allow us to utilize larger scale computational methods.”

The seven labs that were part of the grant proposal are looking at projects ranging from examining military leadership skills; addressing perceptions of concussion risk; predicting engagement with false information on social media; emotion regulation; learning a new language; art therapy; unconscious emotional appraisal during complex cognitive tasks; and caregivers’ responses to infant social cues.

The other faculty members on the request are Ann Huffman, Brian Eiler, Ann Collier, Viktoria Tidikis and Robert Goodman from the Department of Psychological Sciences; Jenny Tsai with the School of Communication; and Vedran Dronjic with the English Department.

Wayment said having this technology also strengthens the impact of future research contributions and increases faculty competitiveness for external funding. Additionally, it will provide 60-75 undergraduate and graduate students research experience each semester.

“There’s just so much we can do,” she said. “That’s really one of the main purposes. It expands our ability to ask important questions that will not only make for more competitive grant applications but also offer our students advanced research opportunities.”

Filed Under: Research & Academics

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest Site Activity

NAU bioengineer awarded multiple grants to improve wearable exoskeletons for people with movement disorders

NAU bioengineer awarded multiple grants to improve wearable exoskeletons for people with movement disorders

Feb. 19, 2019Nearly four in 1,000 children are afflicted with cerebral palsy (CP), making it the most common cause of pediatric physical disability in the United States. This … Read more about NAU bioengineer awarded multiple grants to improve wearable exoskeletons for people with movement disorders

Booming business: Focus on practical experience puts NAU’s construction management program, and its grads, in high demand

Booming business: Focus on practical experience puts NAU’s construction management program, and its grads, in high demand

Feb. 18, 2019On graduation day, dozens of seniors from Northern Arizona University cross the stage, shake hands with the president, wave to their families and move their tassel … Read more about Booming business: Focus on practical experience puts NAU’s construction management program, and its grads, in high demand

President Cheng selected for Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business list

President Cheng selected for Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business list

Feb. 15, 2019President Rita Hartung Cheng is one of 25 women being honored by the Phoenix Business Journal for significant contributions to their professions and … Read more about President Cheng selected for Phoenix Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business list

To help meet industry demands, College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences adds three new Ph.D. programs

To help meet industry demands, College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences adds three new Ph.D. programs

Feb. 13, 2019The College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences hasn’t even had its first birthday yet, and it’s already making history, becoming the first college … Read more about To help meet industry demands, College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences adds three new Ph.D. programs

NAU abroad: President Cheng works to grow partnerships south of the border

NAU abroad: President Cheng works to grow partnerships south of the border

NAU President Rita Cheng led a delegation of university leadership to partner institution Center for Technical and Higher Education University (CETYS) in Mexicali, Mexico, earlier … Read more about NAU abroad: President Cheng works to grow partnerships south of the border

NAU community invited to open house for new IMQ center

NAU community invited to open house for new IMQ center

Feb. 14, 2019Students, staff and faculty are invited to celebrate the opening of Northern Arizona University’s new Office of Inclusion: Multicultural and LGBTQIA Student … Read more about NAU community invited to open house for new IMQ center

Editor’s Picks

Born in tragedy: How an NAU alumnus helped save the life of one Lucky elk

Born in tragedy: How an NAU alumnus helped save the life of one Lucky elk

It all started with a teddy bear.Then raising and keeping pets, going hunting with his dad and realizing he was the only ‘90s kid whose bedroom walls were covered in posters of … Read more about Born in tragedy: How an NAU alumnus helped save the life of one Lucky elk

The Macy legacy: How one man’s love affair with art will benefit NAU students for years to come

The Macy legacy: How one man’s love affair with art will benefit NAU students for years to come

Doug Macy was not an artist, or a Northern Arizona University alum. Yet he was passionate about two things: collecting art and NAU—he had his son to thank for both.Aaron Macy … Read more about The Macy legacy: How one man’s love affair with art will benefit NAU students for years to come

Global partnership: NAU works with Chinese universities to expand 1+2+1 program

Global partnership: NAU works with Chinese universities to expand 1+2+1 program

Nearly 200 students from Chinese universities have made their way to Flagstaff to study at Northern Arizona University this school year as part of the Sino-American 1+2+1 program. … Read more about Global partnership: NAU works with Chinese universities to expand 1+2+1 program