Systems and methods for improving visual attention models

Abstract

Systems and methods for improving visual attention models use effectiveness assessment from an environment as feedback to improve visual attention models. The effectiveness assessment uses data indicative of a particular behavior, which is related to visual attention allocation, received from the environment to assess relative effectiveness of the environment on influencing the particular behavior.

1 . A method of evaluating a visual attention model, comprising:
 receiving visual representations of at least a portion of two environments that differ from each other on a visual dimension;   receiving output generated by applying the visual attention model on the visual representations of the at least a portion of the two environments;   assessing the relative effectiveness of the two environments on influencing a particular human behavior based on data indicative of the particular human behavior received from the two environments, wherein the particular human behavior is inferentially related to attention allocation; and   comparing the assessed relative effectiveness to the output generated by the visual attention model.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising modifying the visual attention model when the assessed relative effectiveness is inconsistent with the output generated by the visual attention model. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the particular human behavior is indirectly inferentially related to attention allocation. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the data indicative of the particular human behavior comprises at least one of point-of-sale data and motion sensor data. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the output generated by the visual attention model comprises at least one of a saliency map, relative saliency numbers, sequence numbers, probability of a region being attended within a given time period, and length of time to which a region is attended. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising selecting two environments with similar output generated by the visual attention model on the visual representations of the at least of a portion of two environments. 
     
     
         7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the visual dimension is represented in the visual attention model, and wherein modifying the visual attention model comprises modifying a parameter of the visual attention model related to the visual dimension. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein modifying a parameter of the visual attention model comprises modifying a weight factor for the visual dimension represented in the visual attention model. 
     
     
         10 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . A visual attention model improvement system, comprising:
 a module for receiving visual representations of at least a portion of two environments that differ from each other on a visual dimension;   a module for receiving output generated by applying the visual attention model on the visual representations of the at least a portion of the two environments;   a module for assessing the relative effectiveness of the two environments on influencing a particular human behavior based on data indicative of the particular human behavior received from the two environments, wherein the particular human behavior is inferentially related to attention allocation; and   a processing unit for comparing the assessed relative effectiveness to the output generated by the visual attention model.   
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the processing unit modifies the visual attention model when the assessed relative effectiveness is inconsistent with the output generated by the visual attention model. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the particular human behavior is indirectly inferentially related to attention allocation. 
     
     
         18 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the visual dimension is represented in the visual attention model. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein modifying the visual attention model comprises modifying a parameter of the visual attention model related to the visual dimension. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein modifying a parameter of the visual attention model comprises modifying a weight factor for the visual dimension represented in the visual attention model. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein modifying the visual attention model comprises adding a parameter related to the visual dimension to the visual attention model. 
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the visual dimension comprises at least one of color, luminance, orientation, font, edges, motion, faces, intensity, distance from fovea, spatial bias, prior-knowledge influence, and task-based influence. 
     
     
         26 - 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . A visual attention model improvement system, comprising:
 a module for receiving visual representation of at least a portion of an environment;   a module for receiving output generated by applying the visual attention model on the visual representation of the at least a portion of the environment;   a module for assessing the relative effectiveness of the environment on influencing the particular human behavior based on data indicative of a particular human behavior received from the environment, wherein the particular human behavior is inferentially related to attention allocation; and   a processing unit for comparing the assessed relative effectiveness to the output generated by the visual attention model.   
     
     
         30 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the processing unit modifies the visual attention model when the assessed relative effectiveness is inconsistent with the output generated by the visual attention model. 
     
     
         31 . The system of  claim 29 , wherein the environment is an environment having a sign. 
     
     
         32 . (canceled)