Design of Tools to Mitigate Psychological Stress in the Analysis of Disturbing Images
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Glasgow
Department Name: School of Psychology
Abstract
An increasing volume of violent and distressing imagery is being shared online, and this provides a challenge to any organisation that moderates their online content. The problem is particularly acute in public policing and social services organisations that must analyse such imagery in the course of investigation or child protection. Such organisations have a duty of care to protect their employees, and ensure their welfare. In support of this goal, this project will perform research which will facilitate the development of novel digital tools to assist users and reduce the mental health burden created by viewing this imagery. This objective will be attained by working in collaboration with the Child Exploitation Online Protection command of the National Crime Agency and the artificial intelligence technology firm, Qumodo. Three strands of research will be performed: 1) Evaluating emotional image recognition in the context of image manipulations guided by artificial intelligence to reduce emotional impact while still retaining scene information. 2) Experiments in social neuroscience that evaluate the effectiveness of the image manipulations from Strand 1, and help better to understand the nature of how the emotional processing of distressing images might compete with cognitive processing. 3) Determining what are the potential risks of implementing this new technology and how can these risks be dealt with effectively to maximise benefit to both employees and their organisations.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Cristina Denk-Florea (Student) |
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ES/R500938/1 | 30/09/2017 | 29/09/2021 | |||
| 1943805 | Studentship | ES/R500938/1 | 30/09/2017 | 29/09/2021 | Cristina Denk-Florea |
| Description | We set out to carry out the following strands: 1. Evaluating the experiences of professionals with examining distressing material 2. Carrying out social neuroscience experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of image manipulations in reducing the emotional impact of distressing imagery 3. Carrying out social neuroscience experiments to evaluate the effectiveness of resilience training techniques in reducing the emotional impact of distressing imagery Up to the present moment we are close to completing the first two strands. For Strand 1 we have collected interview data from 22 police investigators routinely exposed to distressing material with the purpose of understanding their experiences with viewing this material. In this study we discovered that overall the experiences of the police investigators in the UK are very similar to those of investigators from other countries (i.e. Australia and Canada). The unique contribution of this study was to provide an insight into the implications of using artificial intelligence tools as part of police investigators' jobs. We are currently in the process of finalising writing up the paper and submitting it for publication. The paper will also include recommendations that emerged in the course of the interviews. For Strand 2 we collected psychophysiological data from 44 participants. In the study carried out as part of this strand we investigated whether pixelating the faces of people in pleasant and unpleasant images will lead to dampened emotional responses when compared to seeing the original images. We are currently in the process of analysing the data. |
| Exploitation Route | The outcomes of Strand 1 can be taken forward with police agencies which can use the information provided by the study to inform and improve their practices. These outcomes can also be taken forward in academia by carrying out new studies to investigate matters related to experiences of viewing distressing material with other sectors of professionals such as image moderators for social media platforms. The outcomes of Strand 2 may be implemented in the development of systems with the aim of reducing the emotional response of viewers of distressing material. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Government Democracy and Justice |
| Description | An insight into artificial intelligence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The event was organised in the form of two stalls inside the Glasgow Science Centre. On the stalls there were different small robots that children could interact with and we had discussions with the children regarding the functions of those specific robots. We also had a program that the children could look at and it would guess their facial expression. The aim of this activity was to give the children a brief and general insight into the inner workings of robots and artificial intelligence. Our expected outcomes were to encourage the interest of children into the inner workings of such technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Bridging the gap between humans and AI |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this event I gave a talk about one of my research studies and about ways in which AI can positively affect the human experience, specifically the use of AI to reduce the psychological impact of viewing distressing imagery. Following this talk I made contact with employees from the Metropolitan Police. This contact transformed into a short collaboration which allowed me to collect data for one of my studies where I investigated the police investigators' experiences of working with distressing material. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.qumo.do/blog/23 |
| Description | Emotion regulation strategies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This presentation was part of the Cyber Threat Intelligence event organised by the National Crime Agency for their staff. Considering the amount of distressing material police staff are exposed to on a day to day basis in the workplace, in this talk I provided an introduction of the main emotion regulation strategies and a critical assessment of their proven effectiveness. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Introducing social science and artificial intelligence to students |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | This event introduced secondary school students to the workings of artificial intelligence with the aim to highlight its strengths and weaknesses. In our presentation we provided examples of artificial intelligence used in daily life and then focused on its possible applications by professionals working in areas such as medicine, police investigations etc. We also showed the students artificial intelligence algorithms which attempted to identify the objects presented in different types of images. This information was passed on through group activities and through discussions facilitated by me and another researcher. Through these activities we were also interested in making the students reflect on psychological aspects associated with human-computer interaction such as aspects which make the students and people in general trust or not trust these systems. The purpose of this event was to help students gain a better understanding of artificial intelligence and to increase their interest in the subjects of psychology and computing science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Investigating law enforcement professionals' perceptions and experiences of working with distressing material |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | I gave this presentation as part of the 37th Meeting of the Interpol Specialists Group on Crimes Against Children. The purpose of this talk was to present the findings of one of my research studies to a specialist audience of police staff who are routinely exposed to distressing material. Following my presentation I made contact with one Canadian researcher and one staff member working for Homeland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |