Abstract: The current document is directed to a methods and systems that use observational data collected by various devices and sensors to generate electronic-data representations of human conversations. The implementations of these methods and systems, disclosed in the current document, provide a highly extensible and generic platform for converting observational data into affect-annotated-timeline outputs that provide both a textual transcription of a conversation and a parallel set of affect annotations to the conversation. The affect-annotated-timeline outputs may be useful to researchers and developers, but also serve as inputs to any of a wide variety of downstream analytical processes and analysis systems that are, in turn, incorporated into many different types of special-purpose analysis and control systems.

Abstract: The current document is directed to a methods and systems that use observational data collected by various devices and sensors to generate electronic-data representations of human conversations. The implementations of these methods and systems, disclosed in the current document, provide a highly extensible and generic platform for converting observational data into affect-annotated-timeline outputs that provide both a textual transcription of a conversation and a parallel set of affect annotations to the conversation. The affect-annotated-timeline outputs may be useful to researchers and developers, but also serve as inputs to any of a wide variety of downstream analytical processes and analysis systems that are, in turn, incorporated into many different types of special-purpose analysis and control systems.

Abstract: The current document is directed to a relationship-analysis system. The currently disclosed relationship-analysis system collects objective and subjective observations of participants, and their relationship, in an interaction or transaction. The objective and subjective observations are combined to generate an observation data set that is processed by a computational relationship-analysis system. The analysis produces a variety of different types of results, including trust metrics, and stores the results in memory and/or mass-storage for control of downstream analysis, reporting, and actions. Trust metrics provide a basis for carrying out numerous types of downstream actions and for generating recommendations and evaluations by various types of relationship-evaluation and relationship-management systems that employ the relationship-analysis system.

Abstract: The current document is directed to a relationship-analysis system. The currently disclosed relationship-analysis system collects objective and subjective observations of participants, and their relationship, in an interaction or transaction. The objective and subjective observations are combined to generate an observation data set that is processed by a computational relationship-analysis system. The analysis produces a variety of different types of results, including trust metrics, and stores the results in memory and/or mass-storage for control of downstream analysis, reporting, and actions. Trust metrics provide a basis for carrying out numerous types of downstream actions and for generating recommendations and evaluations by various types of relationship-evaluation and relationship-management systems that employ the relationship-analysis system.

Abstract: The current document is directed to a relationship-analysis system. The currently disclosed relationship-analysis system collects objective and subjective observations of participants, and their relationship, in an interaction or transaction. The objective and subjective observations are combined to generate an observation data set that is processed by a computational relationship-analysis system. The analysis produces a variety of different types of results, including trust metrics, and stores the results in memory and/or mass-storage for control of downstream analysis, reporting, and actions. Trust metrics provide a basis for carrying out numerous types of downstream actions and for generating recommendations and evaluations by various types of relationship-evaluation and relationship-management systems that employ the relationship-analysis system.

Abstract: The current document is directed to a semi-automated, distributed, interactive relationship-counseling system. The currently disclosed interactive relationship-counseling system employs, in one configuration, two smart phones, tablets, or other personal, processor-controlled, video-enabled electronic devices and one or more server computer systems. A relationship-counseling session, in a disclosed implementation, includes a discussion, by two participants, during which the participants are isolated from one another physically, but during which each participant hears and views a real-time video of his or her partner participant on his or her video-enabled electronic device. During the discussion, each participant may be monitored by one or more physiological sensors.