Information processing method, program, and information processing system

The information processing method enhances cognitive function evaluation by requiring subjects to memorize and answer questions without visual reference, thereby providing a more accurate assessment of cognitive processing skills.

JP7681218B1Active Publication Date: 2025-05-22EXAWIZARDS INC
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024105984
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-07-01
Publication Date
2025-05-22
Estimated Expiration
2044-07-01

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing methods for evaluating cognitive function may not accurately assess cognitive impairment since subjects can answer questions by looking at them, thereby relying on memory rather than actual cognitive processing.

Method used

An information processing method that includes a question presentation step, a presentation management step to dynamically manage the presentation, a voice acquisition step to acquire responses, and a cognitive function evaluation step based on the acquired voice responses, ensuring that subjects must memorize and answer questions without visual reference.

Benefits of technology

This method allows for a more accurate evaluation of cognitive function by ensuring that subjects rely on their memory and cognitive processing skills rather than simply recalling answers from visual cues.

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Abstract

More accurately assess the subject's cognitive function. [Solution] According to one embodiment, an information processing method is executed by an information processing device, and includes a question presentation step of presenting a question to a subject, a presentation management step of dynamically managing the presentation including the question, a voice acquisition step of acquiring a response voice from the subject to the question, and a cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired response voice.
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing method, a program, and an information processing system. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that extracts prosodic features based on speech data of a subject, calculates the risk of cognitive impairment using a pre-constructed learning model, and evaluates cognitive function. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2011-255106 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By the way, in order to obtain the voice data of the subject, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a question is presented to the subject and the answer is obtained. However, if the question is simply presented, the subject can answer while looking at the question, which is problematic in that the subject can answer without using much memory, which is important in assessing cognitive function. In other words, there is a possibility that the cognitive function of the subject cannot be accurately evaluated, and there is room for improvement in this respect.

[0005] In consideration of the above, the present invention aims to more accurately evaluate the cognitive function of a subject. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to one embodiment, an information processing method is executed by an information processing device, and includes a question presentation step of presenting a question to a subject, a presentation management step of dynamically managing the presentation including the question, a voice acquisition step of acquiring a response voice from the subject to the question, and a cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired response voice.

[0007] According to a program of one embodiment, an information processing device is caused to execute an information processing method including a question presentation step of presenting a question to a subject, a presentation management step of dynamically managing the presentation including the question, a voice acquisition step of acquiring a voice response from the subject to the question, and a cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired voice response.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the information processing system is executed by an information processing device, and includes a question presentation unit that presents a question to a subject, a presentation management unit that dynamically manages the presentation including the question, a voice acquisition unit that acquires a response voice from the subject to the question, and a cognitive function evaluation unit that evaluates the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired response voice. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to one embodiment, the cognitive function of a subject can be evaluated more accurately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a server according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration of a server according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a processing flow of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen of a user terminal in the information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen of a user terminal in the information processing system according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] An embodiment of an information processing system according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. In each drawing, the same or equivalent components and parts are given the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional ratios in the drawings are exaggerated for the convenience of explanation and may differ from the actual ratios.

[0012] (System Overview) First, an overview of the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. The information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment is a system that presents questions to a subject U and evaluates the cognitive function of the subject U based on the answers given by the subject U. Details will be described later.

[0013] (System Configuration) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a server 12 as an information processing device and a user terminal 14, which are communicably connected to each other via a network N. The network N is, for example, a wired LAN (Local Area Network), a wireless LAN, the Internet, a public line network, a mobile data communication network, or a combination of these. Note that the server 12 may include not only a server installed in an on-premise environment, but also a server installed on a cloud service connected via the network N, and may be composed of multiple servers.

[0014] The user terminal 14 is an example of an information processing device for the user U, the manager M, and the operator OP to perform operations for inputting and displaying various information respectively. The user terminal 14 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a server device, a microcomputer, a wearable device, or a combination thereof.

[0015] The server 12 is an example of an information processing device that acquires the information input from the user terminal 14, performs processing based on the information, and outputs the result. The server 12 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a server device, a microcomputer, or a combination thereof. The specific configuration and operation of the server 12 will be described later. Also, the server 12 is connectable to a plurality of user terminals 14.

[0016] (Hardware Configuration) FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the server 12. The server 12 includes a processor 120, a memory 122, a storage 124, a communication I / F 126, an input / output I / F 128, an input device 132, an output device 130, and a drive device 134, which are communicably connected to each other via a bus B.

[0017] The processor 120 controls each component of the server 12 and realizes the functions of the server 12 by expanding various programs stored in the storage 124 into the memory 122 and executing them. The programs executed by the processor 120 include, but are not limited to, an OS (Operating System) and a program 220 described below. The execution of these programs by the processor 120 realizes a part of the state visualization method according to this embodiment. The processor 120 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or a combination of these.

[0018] The memory 122 is, for example, a Read Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), or a combination thereof. The ROM is, for example, a Programmable ROM (PROM), an Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), an Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), or a combination thereof. The RAM is, for example, a Dynamic RAM (DRAM), a Static RAM (SRAM), a Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), or a combination thereof.

[0019] The storage 124 stores an OS, various programs described below, and various data. The storage 124 is, for example, a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a storage class memory (SCM), or a combination of these.

[0020] The communication I / F 126 is an interface for connecting the server 12 to external devices including the user terminal 14 and the image capturing device 16 via the network N and for controlling communication. The communication I / F 126 is, for example, an adapter conforming to Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Ethernet (registered trademark), or optical communication (for example, Fibre Channel), but is not limited thereto.

[0021] The input / output I / F 128 is an interface for connecting an input device 132 and an output device 130 to the server 12. The input device 132 is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, a microphone, a scanner, a camera, various sensors, an operation button, or a combination of these. The output device 130 is, for example, a display, a projector, a printer, a speaker, a vibrator, or a combination of these.

[0022] The drive device 134 reads and writes data from and to the disk medium 136. The drive device 134 is, for example, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a magneto-optical disk drive, or a combination of these. The disk medium 109 is, for example, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disk (FD), a magneto-optical disk (MO), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (BD), or a combination of these.

[0023] In this embodiment, the program may be written into memory 122 or storage 124 during the manufacturing stage of server 12, or may be provided to server 12 via network N, or may be provided to server 12 via a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium such as disk media 136.

[0024] Moreover, the hardware configuration of the user terminal 14 is substantially the same as the hardware configuration of the server 12 described above, and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0025] (Functional configuration) Next, the functional configuration of the server 12 will be described. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the server 12. When executing various programs, the server 12 realizes various functions using the above-mentioned hardware resources. The server 12 has a communication unit 20, a storage unit 22, and a control unit 24 as the functional configuration realized by the server 12. Each functional configuration is realized by the processor 120 reading and executing a program 220 stored in the memory 122 or the storage 124.

[0026] The communication unit 20 is realized by the communication I / F 126. The communication unit 20 transmits and receives information to and from the user terminal 14 via the network N. The communication unit 20 receives information input from the user terminal 14. In addition, the communication unit 20 transmits information to the user terminal 14, and receives a request by the user U from the user terminal 14.

[0027] The storage unit 22 is realized by the memory 122 and the storage 124. In the storage unit 22, a program 220, a trained model 222, a question DB 224, a user information DB 226, an acquired voice DB 228, and a processing result DB 230 are stored.

[0028] The trained model 222 is a machine learning model configured to evaluate cognitive function from the speech data of the subject U. In this embodiment, the trained model 222 is configured with a deep neural network (DNN) that performs both extraction and evaluation of speech features. This model first receives speech data of the subject U as input. The trained model 222 has a function of extracting speech features (e.g., pitch, formant frequency, Mel-frequency spectral coefficients (MFCC)) directly from the speech data. These speech features reflect the prosody, tone quality, phonology, etc. of the subject U, and are important factors in cognitive function evaluation.

[0029] The trained model 222 also accepts input of an identification flag for distinguishing between the interlocutor's voice and the target U's voice. Specifically, an interlocutor flag indicating that the voice is the interlocutor's voice or a target flag indicating that the voice is the target U's voice is added to the input voice data. Based on this identification flag, the model can appropriately preprocess the voice data and distinguish the target U's voice from the interlocutor's voice. This allows the interlocutor's question and the target U's answer to be accurately separated and their respective voice features to be extracted. In addition to the extracted voice features, the trained model 222 also takes into account the response time (the time from the end of the interlocutor's speech to the start of the target U's answer). The response time is an important indicator of the degree of cognitive function decline, and incorporating this improves the accuracy of the evaluation. In the evaluation part of the DNN, the cognitive function level of the target U is output based on the above-mentioned voice features and response time. This evaluation is divided into multiple levels, such as healthy, mild cognitive impairment, moderate cognitive impairment, and severe cognitive impairment, and a score corresponding to each level is output. If the score is below a predetermined threshold, the subject is determined to be healthy, and if it exceeds the threshold, the subject is determined to have a problem with cognitive function. In this way, the trained model 222 has a function of directly extracting features of the voice data of the subject U and evaluating the cognitive function with high accuracy based on them. In this embodiment, a so-called speaker separation is performed by adding an interlocutor flag indicating that the voice data is the voice of the interlocutor or a subject flag indicating that the voice data is the voice of the subject U, but the present invention is not limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which speaker separation is not performed by setting an environment in which only the subject U speaks during voice acquisition.

[0030] The question DB 224 is a database that stores a plurality of questions to be presented to the subject U. This question DB 224 includes questions of various categories and levels of difficulty, and is used to present questions according to the situation of the subject U. In this embodiment, the question DB 224 is updated each time, and new questions are added as appropriate, thereby preventing the subject U from memorizing the same questions.

[0031] The user information DB226 is a database that stores subject information regarding the subject U. This subject information includes a unique identifier (e.g., a user ID) that identifies the subject U, personal data of the subject U (age, sex, medical history, etc.), past question history, answer content, and results of cognitive function evaluation. The user information DB226 is used to create a profile of the subject U and present questions that are optimal for each individual situation.

[0032] The acquired voice DB228 is a database that stores answer voice data acquired from the subject U. The voice data is pre-processed (e.g., noise filtering, volume adjustment, etc.) and then used for analysis. The data stored in the acquired voice DB228 is also used for subsequent analysis and model re-learning. Each voice data in the acquired voice DB228 is linked to the subject information stored in the user information DB226 by a user ID. This makes it easy to track and manage which subject U each voice data belongs to. Specifically, each data entry recorded in the acquired voice DB228 includes this user ID as metadata.

[0033] The processing result DB230 is a database that stores the analysis results of the acquired voice data. The processing results include the cognitive function evaluation results, feedback based on the analysis, and recommendations for the next step. The processing result DB230 is used for long-term evaluation and recording of the cognitive function of the subject U, and for considering further intervention. The analysis results play an important role in the continuous monitoring of the subject U and the determination of appropriate countermeasures. Each evaluation result in the processing result DB230 is also linked to the subject information stored in the user information DB226 by a user ID. This makes it possible to reliably know which subject U a particular cognitive function evaluation result belongs to. Specifically, each data entry recorded in the processing result DB230 also includes this user ID as metadata. At least one of the above-mentioned program 220, the trained model 222, the question DB224, the user information DB226, the acquired voice DB228, and the processing result DB230 may be configured to be stored in the storage unit of the user terminal 14. Furthermore, at least one of the user information DB 226, the acquired voice DB 228, and the processing result DB 230 may be stored in a storage unit by other methods such as a file system, instead of a database.

[0034] The control unit 24 is realized by the processor 120 reading and executing the program 220 from the memory 122 (see FIG. 2) and cooperating with other hardware configurations. The control unit 24 includes a question presenting unit 242, a presentation managing unit 244, a voice acquiring unit 246, a cognitive function evaluating unit 248, and an output unit 250.

[0035] The question presenting unit 242 has a function of presenting a question to the subject U. The question may be visually displayed on the display, or may be read aloud using a speaker. The question presenting unit 242 retrieves question data stored in the question DB 224 and presents it to the subject U in an appropriate format. The questions displayed on the display are designed to be visually easy to understand and to be easily understood by the subject U. Specifically, the text of the question is displayed in a font size that is easy to read even for elderly people or subjects U with low eyesight. Furthermore, the contrast between the background and the character color is set high so that the characters are clearly visible. Also, the questions are displayed in bullet points or short sentences, and complex sentences are avoided to improve readability. Furthermore, a margin is provided around the question to maintain a visually neat layout and to ensure that the question content is not buried in other information. Note that, if necessary, a simple illustration or icon may be displayed together with the question to supplementarily explain the question content. Also, the question presenting unit 242 is based on a form in which the question is displayed on the display, but may also include a form in which the question is read aloud using a speaker. This allows for flexible response to subjects U who are visually impaired or who prefer audio guidance.

[0036] The presentation management unit 244 has a function of dynamically managing presentations related to questions. That is, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the presentation management unit 244 displays notes before diagnosis and a diagnosis start button. When the subject U operates the diagnosis start button, a countdown display is started as shown in FIG. 5(B)-(D), and after the countdown ends, a question is displayed as shown in FIG. 5(E). The presentation management unit 244 also has a function of hiding a question when a predetermined condition is met as shown in FIG. 5(E). The predetermined condition includes a case where a certain time (e.g., 30 seconds) has passed since a specific question was displayed, a case where the subject U does not show a certain interaction with the question, or a case where the subject U starts answering. This requires the subject U to memorize the question for a short period of time. Therefore, the subject U answers while tracing his / her memory, and answer voice data that better reflects the subject's cognitive function can be obtained. Furthermore, eye-tracking technology may be used to hide a question if the subject U's gaze is away from the question for a certain period of time (e.g., 5 seconds). Furthermore, the question may be hidden if the cumulative time the question is displayed exceeds a certain threshold (e.g., a cumulative total of 2 minutes). In this way, the presentation management unit 244 dynamically manages the display of questions according to the subject U's situation and hides them as appropriate, thereby providing an environment in which the subject U can intuitively answer and facilitating accurate evaluation of memory and cognitive function.

[0037] Furthermore, the presentation management unit 244 has a function of managing so that the same question is not repeatedly presented within a short period of time based on newly acquired or question history information, which is one of the subject information in the user information DB 226. Also, based on the question presentation history information, the presentation management unit 244 cooperates with the question optimization unit 252 and is controlled to select and present an optimal question. This prevents the subject U from memorizing the question for a long time by being presented with the same question, and provides an optimal question suitable for each evaluation. In this way, the presentation management unit 244 effectively presents questions to the subject U. Note that the above-mentioned "memorizing for a long time" refers to a state in which the subject U repeatedly comes into contact with a specific question, memorizes the answer to the question in advance, and from the next time onwards, reflexively answers the memorized answer just by looking at the question content. In such a state, the natural cognitive function state of the subject U is not evaluated, and an answer that is corrected by memory is obtained, making it difficult to accurately evaluate the cognitive function. Specifically, this means that the subject U is presented with the same question many times within a certain period of time (for example, several weeks to several months), and retains the answer content as a memory, so that he or she can smoothly answer the next time the question is asked. In such a case, although the memory and adaptability of the subject U can be evaluated, there is a high possibility that the original cognitive function, thinking ability, and attention ability obtained from the voice features cannot be accurately evaluated. Therefore, preventing the questions from being remembered for a long time is important for evaluating the state of the subject U's natural cognitive function, and a more accurate evaluation can be performed by presenting the optimal questions for each individual evaluation.

[0038] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5(E), the presentation management unit 244 hides the question, and then displays a countdown on the screen for receiving a voice response from the subject U, as shown in Fig. 5(F), 6(A) and (B). This makes it possible to elicit a natural voice response from the subject U due to the sense of tension created by making the subject U aware of the time constraint, and to evaluate the cognitive function based on the result.

[0039] The voice acquisition unit 246 has a function of acquiring a response voice from the subject U. Voice data of the subject U is collected through the microphone of the user terminal 14, and the data is stored. The acquired voice data is subjected to preprocessing such as noise filtering, and then stored in the acquired voice DB 228, and is further used for analysis by the cognitive function assessment unit 248.

[0040] The cognitive function evaluation unit 248 has a function of analyzing the acquired answer voice data and evaluating the cognitive function of the subject U. In this embodiment, the cognitive function evaluation unit 248 uses the above-mentioned trained model 222 to evaluate the cognitive function from the voice data. Specifically, the trained model 222 performs phoneme analysis, language comprehension analysis, reaction speed measurement, tempo and rhythm analysis, etc. on the acquired voice data. Based on these analysis results, the memory, attention, thinking speed, and other cognitive functions of the subject U are comprehensively evaluated. The trained model 222 is trained using a large amount of past voice data, extracts fine features from the voice of the subject U, and judges the cognitive function with high accuracy based on these features. In this way, the cognitive function evaluation unit 248 can automatically and quickly evaluate the cognitive function by inputting the voice data of the subject U into the trained model 222. The evaluation results are stored in the processing result DB 230 and are used for monitoring the long-term cognitive function of the subject U and considering necessary intervention measures.

[0041] The output unit 250 has a function of providing the result of the cognitive function evaluation to the subject U, etc. The evaluation result is displayed on the display of the user terminal 14 or on a voice output device (not shown). The result is also saved in a report format and used for future evaluation or reference. At least one of the question presenting unit 242, the presentation managing unit 244, the voice acquiring unit 246, the cognitive function evaluating unit 248, and the output unit 250 may be configured to be stored in a memory unit of the user terminal 14.

[0042] (Processing Executed by Information Processing System 10) Next, the operation of the information processing system 10 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flow chart showing an example of the flow of processing by the information processing system 10. The processor 120 reads out the program 220 stored in the storage 124, expands it in the memory 122, and executes it, thereby performing processing. Although not shown, when the processor 120 receives operation information for terminating the operation of the information processing system 10, or information on the end of an operation from the user terminal 14 during the determination processing being executed (these are simply referred to as "termination operation"), the processor 120 ends the processing based on the program 220 being processed.

[0043] The processor 120 acquires subject information about the subject U (step S100). This subject information may be acquired by using information registered in advance in the user information DB 226, such as the user ID entered at the time of logging in to the service, or may display an input screen for subject information and acquire subject information acquired from this input screen.

[0044] Processor 120 displays pre-diagnosis precautions on user terminal 14 to start the diagnosis (step S102, see FIG. 5(A)). Next, processor 120 determines whether or not subject U has operated a diagnosis start button (corresponding to the start button in FIG. 5(A)) (step S104). If the subject U has operated the button (step S104: YES), processor 120 starts a countdown display (step S106, see FIGS. 5(B) to (D)). On the other hand, if the subject U has not operated the button (step S104: NO), processor 120 proceeds to the process of step S102.

[0045] Processor 120 determines a question to be presented to subject U based on the acquired subject information (step S108). That is, by referring to question history information from the acquired subject information, a question is determined so that the same question is not presented within a short period of time.

[0046] When the countdown ends, the processor 120 presents a question to the subject U via the question presenter 242 (step S110, see FIG. 5(E)). Next, the processor 120 determines whether the question has been displayed for a predetermined time (step S112). If the predetermined time has elapsed (step S112: YES), the processor 120 hides the question (step S114). On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S112: NO), the processor 120 proceeds to the processing of step S110.

[0047] After hiding the question, processor 120 displays the voice capture screen and simultaneously displays a countdown (step S116, see FIG. 5(F), FIG. 6(A), (B)). Next, processor 120 determines whether the voice capture screen has been displayed for a predetermined time (whether the countdown has reached 0) (step S118). If the predetermined time has elapsed (step S118: YES), processor 120 analyzes the captured voice data (step S120). On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S118: NO), processor 120 proceeds to the process of step S116.

[0048] The processor 120 stores the acquired voice data in the storage unit 22, inputs the data to the trained model 222 via the cognitive function evaluation unit 248, and performs analysis based on the voice data (step S120). When the analysis is completed, the processor 120 evaluates the cognitive function based on the analysis result (step S122). The evaluation result is stored in the processing result DB 230, and the processor 120 outputs the result through the display of the user terminal 14 or an external tool (step S124, see FIG. 6(C)), and ends the processing. Note that the "question presenting step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-mentioned step S110. Also, the "presentation management step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-mentioned steps S112, S114, and S116. Furthermore, the "voice acquisition step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-mentioned steps S116 and S118. Furthermore, the "cognitive function evaluation step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-mentioned steps S120 and S122. Moreover, a "query optimization step" recited in claim 4 corresponds to the above-mentioned steps S100 and S108.

[0049] (Effects of one embodiment) According to the information processing system 10 of this embodiment, the method includes a question presenting step of presenting a question to the subject U, a presentation management step of dynamically managing the presentation including the question, a voice acquisition step of acquiring an answer voice from the subject U in response to the question, and a cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject U based on the acquired answer voice. In this embodiment, the question is hidden when a predetermined time has elapsed as a predetermined condition in the presentation management step, so the subject U cannot answer the question while looking at it. In other words, the subject U needs to memorize the question in the short term. Short term means that the question is presented and memorized within a certain time (for example, several seconds to several tens of seconds), and is used to answer immediately thereafter. Therefore, the subject U will memorize the question content while the question is presented, and will answer the question within a short period of time relying on that memory. Therefore, answer voice data reflecting the subject U's short-term memory ability and the ability of cognitive processing based on that information can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to accurately evaluate the cognitive function. This makes it possible to more accurately evaluate the cognitive function of the subject U.

[0050] In addition, the presentation management step displays a countdown to the answer deadline, thereby exerting a certain amount of time pressure on the subject U. This allows the subject U to obtain a voice response under a certain load on his / her thinking ability, and the cognitive function is evaluated based on the voice, making it possible to more accurately grasp the actual ability of the subject U's target cognitive function.

[0051] Furthermore, since the method includes a question optimization step of acquiring question presentation history information and determining the question to be presented in the question presentation step based on the presentation history information, optimal questions can be presented taking into consideration the individual answer tendency and past question history of each subject U. This makes it possible to prevent the subject U from memorizing questions for a long time due to being presented with the same questions. In addition, by avoiding the same questions being presented frequently, the diversity and reliability of the evaluation are improved, and a more comprehensive judgment can be made. Furthermore, by optimizing the questions based on past answer data, changes and progress of individual cognitive functions can be continuously monitored, and precise and appropriate cognitive function evaluation can be performed.

[0052] Furthermore, when the question is displayed for a predetermined time, the question is hidden and the screen is switched to the voice acquisition screen. In other words, since the subject U proceeds to the voice acquisition process without performing any button operation after the question is presented, the subject U can be prevented from preparing to answer. This allows more natural voice data of the subject U to be acquired, and therefore a more precise and appropriate cognitive function evaluation can be performed. Note that the question presentation screen (see FIG. 5(E)) is configured not to have an operation unit that accepts the subject U's operation such as a voice stop button (see FIG. 5(A)), so that the transition from the question presentation screen to the voice acquisition screen is prevented from being delayed due to the subject U's operation intervention. In other words, by configuring the screen not to accept the operation of the subject U or the like when the question is presented, it is possible to prevent the subject U from memorizing the question under favorable conditions by extending the question presentation time due to the operation intervention.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration includes a question optimization step, but the present invention is not limited to this. Questions may be presented randomly or in a predetermined order.

[0054] In addition, in the presentation management step, the display is hidden when a certain condition is met, but the presenting step is not limited to this, and may be configured to perform other dynamic management such as presenting information related to the question, presenting a hint, switching between visual presentation and audio presentation, displaying only a part of the question, etc., when a certain condition is met. That is, by presenting information related to the question or presenting a hint, it is possible to encourage the subject U to answer even in a state where the subject U is in a state where the subject U cannot answer at all simply by being presented with a question. This makes it possible to evaluate the cognitive function of the subject U in various cognitive function states. In addition, by switching between visual presentation and audio presentation, more detailed information on the cognitive function of the subject U can be obtained. For example, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the characteristics of the cognitive function of a subject who shows a strong reaction to visual information and a subject who shows a strong reaction to audio information. This switching makes it possible to clarify which form of information processing the subject U is good at, or which form has a weakness. This makes it possible to evaluate the details of the subject U's information processing ability, memory, attention, and comprehension ability more accurately and from various angles. As a result, it is possible to more accurately evaluate the cognitive function of the subject U. Furthermore, by displaying only a part of the question, it is possible to evaluate the process by which the subject U gradually grasps the overall picture of the problem. By providing additional information after presenting a part of the question, it is possible to evaluate the subject U's memory, attention, and thinking speed. This gradual and focused method allows for a multifaceted and precise evaluation of the subject U's cognitive function. As a result, it is possible to more accurately evaluate the subject U's cognitive function.

[0055] Furthermore, in the presentation management step, a countdown to the answer deadline is displayed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the answer deadline may be displayed by a progress bar, a color change, a voice notification, or an animation display of a clock or hourglass, etc. Also, a countdown display may not be displayed.

[0056] Furthermore, the configuration is such that the process for presenting a question is started when the subject U operates the diagnosis start button, but it is not limited to this, and the process for presenting a question may be started when a predetermined condition is met, such as when a predetermined time has passed or when gaze detection shows that the subject U's gaze is directed toward the display. This allows the process to proceed smoothly even for subject U who is not accustomed to operating a UI.

[0057] <Additional Notes> The present embodiment includes the following disclosure.

[0058] (Appendix 1) An information processing method executed by an information processing device, A question presenting step of presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step of dynamically managing presentations including the questions; a voice acquisition step of acquiring a response voice from the subject to the question; A cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired answer voice; An information processing method comprising:

[0059] (Appendix 2) The presentation management step hides the presented question when a predetermined condition is satisfied. 2. An information processing method as described in Appendix 1.

[0060] (Appendix 3) The presentation management step displays a countdown to a reply deadline. 10. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2.

[0061] (Appendix 4) a question optimization step of acquiring presentation history information of the question and determining the question to be presented in the question presenting step based on the presentation history information; An information processing method according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3.

[0062] (Appendix 5) In the information processing device, a processing instruction acquisition step of acquiring processing instruction information instructing a processing; A question presenting step of presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step of dynamically managing presentations including the questions; a voice acquisition step of acquiring a response voice from the subject to the question; A cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired answer voice; A program for executing an information processing method including the steps of:

[0063] (Appendix 6) An information processing system executed by an information processing device, A question presentation unit that presents a question to a subject; a presentation management unit that dynamically manages presentations including the questions; a voice acquisition unit that acquires a response voice from the subject to the question; A cognitive function evaluation unit that evaluates a cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired answer voice; An information processing system having the above configuration.

[0064] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered as limiting. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above meaning, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims, and embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10. Information Processing Systems 12 Server (information processing device) 14 User terminal (information processing device) 220 Programs 242 Question presentation part 244 Presentation Management Department 246 Voice Acquisition Unit 248 Cognitive Function Assessment Department

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, A question presenting step of presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step of dynamically managing presentations including the questions; a voice acquisition step of acquiring a response voice from the subject to the question; A cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired answer voice; Including, After presenting the question in the presentation management step, the process proceeds to the voice acquisition step without accepting any operation from the subject. Information processing methods.

2. The presentation management step hides the presented question when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The information processing method according to claim 1 .

3. The presentation management step displays a countdown to a reply deadline.

3. The information processing method according to claim 1.

4. a question optimization step of acquiring presentation history information of the question and determining the question to be presented in the question presentation step based on the presentation history information; The information processing method according to claim 1 .

5. In the information processing device, A question presenting step of presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step of dynamically managing presentations including the questions; a voice acquisition step of acquiring a response voice from the subject to the question; A cognitive function evaluation step of evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired answer voice; Including, After presenting the question in the presentation management step, the process proceeds to the voice acquisition step without accepting any operation from the subject. A program for executing an information processing method.

6. An information processing system executed by an information processing device, A question presentation unit that presents a question to a subject; a presentation management unit that dynamically manages presentations including the questions; a voice acquisition unit that acquires a response voice from the subject to the question; A cognitive function evaluation unit that evaluates a cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired answer voice; Including, After the presentation management unit presents the question, the presentation management unit does not accept any operation from the subject, and the process proceeds to acquisition of the answer voice by the voice acquisition unit. Information processing system.

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