Information processing method, program, and information processing system

Abstract

Through an information processing method according to one embodiment, provided is an information processing method executed by an information processing device, including: a question presentation step for presenting a subject person with a question; a presentation management step for dynamically managing presentation including the question; a voice acquisition step for acquiring a voice answering the question from the subject person; and a cognitive function evaluation step for evaluating the cognitive function of the subject person on the basis of the acquired answering voice.

Description

Information processing method, program, and information processing system

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

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2011-255106 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.

[0003] Incidentally, in order to acquire speech data from a subject, it is conceivable to adopt a configuration in which questions are presented to the subject and the answers are acquired. However, simply presenting questions means that the subject can answer while looking at the questions, which poses a problem in that they can answer without using much memory, which is important in assessing cognitive function. In other words, there is a possibility that the subject's cognitive function cannot be accurately evaluated, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0004] In consideration of the above facts, the present disclosure aims to more accurately evaluate the cognitive function of a subject.

[0005] According to one embodiment, the 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 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.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the program, 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.

[0007] According to one embodiment, the information processing system has an information processing device, and includes a question presentation unit that presents a question to a subject, a presentation management unit that dynamically manages presentations 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.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the cognitive function of a subject can be evaluated more accurately.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a server according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of a server according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the processing flow of an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen of a user terminal in an information processing system according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an output screen of a user terminal in an information processing system according to an embodiment.

[0010] An embodiment of an information processing system according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. Note that identical or equivalent components and parts in each figure are denoted by the same reference numerals. Also, the dimensional proportions in the drawings have been exaggerated for the sake of explanation and may differ from the actual proportions.

[0011] (System Overview) First, an overview of the information processing system 10 according to this embodiment will be described. The information processing system 10 according to this 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.

[0012] (System Configuration) FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system 10 according to this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the information processing system 10 according to this 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 local area network (LAN), a wireless LAN, the Internet, a public line network, a mobile data communication network, or a combination thereof. Note that the server 12 may be not only a server installed in an on-premises environment, but may also include a server installed on a cloud service connected via the network N, and may be configured of multiple servers.

[0013] The user terminal 14 is an example of an information processing device on which the user U, the manager M, and the operator OP perform operations to input and display various information. The user terminal 14 may be a personal computer (PC), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a server device, a microcomputer, a wearable device, or a combination of these.

[0014] The server 12 is an example of an information processing device that acquires information input from the user terminal 14, processes the information, and outputs the results. The server 12 may be a PC (Personal Computer), a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a server device, a microcomputer, or a combination of these. The specific configuration and operation of the server 12 will be described later. The server 12 is also connectable to multiple user terminals 14.

[0015] 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 communicatively connected to each other via a bus B.

[0016] The processor 120 controls each component of the server 12 and realizes the functions of the server 12 by loading 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 operating system (OS) and a program 220 described below. The execution of these programs by the processor 120 realizes part of the information processing method according to this embodiment. The processor 120 is, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or a combination thereof.

[0017] 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 read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a combination thereof. The RAM is, for example, a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), or a combination thereof.

[0018] The storage 124 stores the 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 thereof.

[0019] The communication I / F 126 is an interface for connecting the server 12 to external devices, including the user terminal 14 and the image capture device 16, via the network N and for controlling communication. The communication I / F 126 is, for example, an adapter compliant with Bluetooth (registered trademark), Wi-Fi (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), Ethernet (registered trademark), or optical communication (e.g., Fibre Channel), but is not limited to these.

[0020] 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 thereof. The output device 130 is, for example, a display, a projector, a printer, a speaker, a vibrator, or a combination thereof.

[0021] The drive device 134 reads and writes data from and to the disk media 136. The drive device 134 is, for example, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a magneto-optical disk drive, or a combination thereof. The disk media 109 is, for example, a compact disc (CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a floppy disc (FD), a magneto-optical disc (MO), a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disc (BD), or a combination thereof.

[0022] In this embodiment, the program may be written to memory 122 or storage 124 during the manufacturing stage of server 12, 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.

[0023] Furthermore, 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.

[0024] (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 uses the above-mentioned hardware resources to realize various functions. 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 when the processor 120 reads and executes a program 220 stored in the memory 122 or the storage 124.

[0025] 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. The communication unit 20 also transmits information to the user terminal 14 and receives requests from the user U from the user terminal 14.

[0026] The storage unit 22 is realized by the memory 122 and the storage 124. The storage unit 22 stores a program 220, a trained model 222, a question DB 224, a user information DB 226, an acquired speech DB 228, and a processing result DB 230.

[0027] The trained model 222 is a machine learning model configured to evaluate cognitive function from speech data of the subject U. In this embodiment, the trained model 222 is configured with a deep neural network (DNN) that both extracts and evaluates speech features. This model first receives speech data of the subject U as input. The trained model 222 has the 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, phonemes, etc. of the subject U and are important factors in cognitive function evaluation.

[0028] 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 appropriately preprocesses the voice data and can distinguish the target U's voice from the interlocutor's voice. This allows the model to accurately separate the interlocutor's question and the target U's response and extract their respective voice features. In addition to the extracted voice features, the trained model 222 also takes into account response time (the time from the end of the interlocutor's utterance to the start of the target U's response). Response time is an important indicator of the degree of cognitive decline, and incorporating this information improves the accuracy of the evaluation. The DNN evaluation section outputs the target U's cognitive function level based on the above-mentioned voice features and response time. This evaluation is classified 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 cognitive function problem. In this way, the trained model 222 has the function of directly extracting features from the voice data of the subject U and evaluating the cognitive function with high accuracy based on these features. Note that in this embodiment, so-called speaker separation is performed by adding an interlocutor flag indicating that the voice is the voice of the interlocutor or a subject flag indicating that the voice is the voice of the subject U to the input voice data. However, this is not limited to this, and a configuration may be adopted in which speaker separation is not performed by creating an environment in which only the subject U speaks during voice acquisition.

[0029] 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.

[0030] The user information DB 226 is a database that stores subject information about 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 (such as age, gender, and medical history), past question history, answer content, and cognitive function assessment results. The user information DB 226 is used to create a profile of the subject U and present questions that are optimal for each individual situation.

[0031] The acquired voice DB 228 is a database that stores response voice data acquired from the subject U. The voice data is preprocessed (e.g., noise filtering, volume adjustment, etc.) and then used for analysis. The data stored in the acquired voice DB 228 is also used for subsequent analysis and model retraining. Each voice data in the acquired voice DB 228 is linked to the subject information stored in the user information DB 226 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 DB 228 includes this user ID as metadata.

[0032] The processing result DB 230 is a database that stores the analysis results of the acquired voice data. The processing results include cognitive function assessment results, feedback based on the analysis, and recommendations for next steps. The processing result DB 230 is used for long-term assessment and recording of the subject U's cognitive function and for considering further interventions. The analysis results play an important role in continuously monitoring the subject U and determining appropriate countermeasures. Each assessment result in the processing result DB 230 is also linked to the subject information stored in the user information DB 226 by a user ID. This allows for reliable identification of which subject U a specific cognitive function assessment result belongs to. Specifically, each data entry recorded in the processing result DB 230 also includes this user ID as metadata. At least one of the program 220, the trained model 222, the question DB 224, the user information DB 226, the acquired voice DB 228, and the processing result DB 230 may be configured to be stored in the memory 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 configured to be stored in a storage unit by other methods such as a file system, rather than as a database.

[0033] The control unit 24 is realized by the processor 120 reading and executing the program 220 from the memory 122 (see FIG. 2 ) and working in cooperation with other hardware components. The control unit 24 includes a question presenting unit 242, a presentation management unit 244, a voice acquisition unit 246, a cognitive function evaluation unit 248, and an output unit 250.

[0034] The question presenting unit 242 has a function of presenting questions to the subject U. The questions may be displayed visually on a display or 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 question text is displayed in a font size that is easy to read even for elderly subjects or subjects U with low eyesight. Furthermore, a high contrast between the background and the text color is set to make the text clearly visible. Furthermore, questions are displayed in bulleted list format or short sentences, and complex sentences are avoided to improve readability. Furthermore, margins are provided around the questions to maintain a visually clean layout and prevent the question content from being buried under other information. If necessary, simple illustrations or icons may be displayed alongside the questions to provide supplementary explanations of the question content. Furthermore, the question presenting unit 242 basically displays questions on a display, but may also present questions in a form where the questions are read aloud using a speaker. This allows for flexible response to visually impaired persons U and persons U who prefer audio guidance.

[0035] The presentation management unit 244 has a function of dynamically managing presentations related to questions. That is, as shown in FIG. 5A, the presentation management unit 244 displays pre-diagnosis precautions and a diagnosis start button. When the subject U operates the diagnosis start button, a countdown display begins as shown in FIGS. 5B to 5D, and after the countdown ends, the question is presented as shown in FIG. 5E. The presentation management unit 244 also has a function of hiding the question when a predetermined condition is met, as shown in FIG. 5E. These predetermined conditions include when a certain amount of time (e.g., 30 seconds) has elapsed since a specific question was presented, when the subject U does not show a certain level of interaction with the question, or when the subject U begins to answer. This requires the subject U to memorize the question for a short period of time. Therefore, the subject U must respond by searching their memory, resulting in answer voice data that better reflects their cognitive function. Furthermore, eye-tracking technology may be used to hide a question if the subject U's gaze moves away from the question for a certain period of time (e.g., 5 seconds). Furthermore, the question may be hidden if the cumulative display time of the question 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 questions and promoting accurate evaluation of memory and cognitive function.

[0036] Furthermore, the presentation management unit 244 has a function of managing questions to prevent the same question from being repeatedly presented within a short period of time, based on newly acquired question history information or question presentation history information stored in the user information DB 226. Based on the question presentation history information, the presentation management unit 244 also cooperates with the question optimization unit 252 to select and present optimal questions. This prevents the subject U from repeatedly presenting the same questions and memorizing them over the long term, and provides optimal questions suited to individual evaluations. In this way, the presentation management unit 244 effectively presents questions to the subject U. Note that the aforementioned "long-term memorization" refers to a state in which the subject U repeatedly encounters a specific question, memorizing the answer to that question in advance, and then reflexively responding with the memorized answer when viewing the question content from the next time onward. In such a state, the subject U's natural cognitive function state is not evaluated, and answers that are adjusted by memory are obtained, making accurate cognitive function evaluation difficult. Specifically, this means that by presenting the same questions multiple times within a certain period of time (e.g., several weeks to several months), the subject U retains the answers in memory and is able to answer the questions smoothly the next time. In such cases, the subject U's memory and adaptability can be evaluated, but it is highly likely that the subject U's actual cognitive function, thinking ability, and attention ability obtained from the speech features cannot be accurately evaluated. Therefore, preventing the questions from being retained in the subject U's memory over the long term is important for evaluating the state of the subject U's natural cognitive function, and presenting optimal questions for each evaluation makes it possible to perform a more accurate evaluation.

[0037] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 5(E), the presentation management unit 244 hides the question, and then displays a countdown on the screen that accepts the answer voice from the subject U, as shown in Fig. 5(F), 6(A), and (B). This makes it possible to elicit a natural answer voice response from the subject U, which is caused by the sense of tension that arises from being aware of the time constraint, and to evaluate the cognitive function based on the result.

[0038] The voice acquisition unit 246 has a function of acquiring answer voice from the subject U. It collects voice data of the subject U through the microphone of the user terminal 14 and stores the data. 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.

[0039] The cognitive function assessment unit 248 has a function of analyzing the acquired response voice data and evaluating the cognitive function of the subject U. In this embodiment, the cognitive function assessment unit 248 evaluates cognitive function from the voice data using the aforementioned trained model 222. Specifically, the trained model 222 performs phonemic analysis, language comprehension analysis, reaction speed measurement, tempo and rhythm analysis, etc. on the acquired voice data. Based on these analysis results, the subject U's memory, attention, thinking speed, and other cognitive functions are comprehensively evaluated. The trained model 222 is trained using a large amount of past voice data, extracts detailed features from the subject U's voice, and accurately assesses cognitive function based on these features. In this way, the cognitive function assessment unit 248 can automatically and quickly evaluate cognitive function by inputting the subject U's voice data into the trained model 222. The assessment results are stored in the processing result DB 230 and are used for monitoring the subject U's long-term cognitive function and considering necessary intervention measures.

[0040] The output unit 250 has a function of providing the results of the cognitive function assessment to the subject U, etc. The assessment results are displayed on the display of the user terminal 14 or on an audio output device (not shown). The results are also saved in report format and used for future assessments or reference. At least one of the question presentation unit 242, presentation management unit 244, audio acquisition unit 246, cognitive function assessment unit 248, and output unit 250 may be configured to be stored in a memory unit of the user terminal 14.

[0041] (Processing Executed by Information Processing System 10) Next, the operation of the information processing system 10 will be described. Fig. 4 is a flowchart 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 to terminate the operation of the information processing system 10, or operation termination information from the user terminal 14 during the ongoing determination processing (these will be simply referred to as "termination operations"), the processor 120 terminates the processing based on the program 220 that is currently being processed.

[0042] The processor 120 acquires subject information about the subject U (step S100). This subject information may be acquired by using information previously registered in the user information DB 226, such as the user ID used when logging in to the service, or by displaying an input screen for subject information and acquiring the subject information from this input screen.

[0043] The processor 120 displays pre-diagnosis precautions on the user terminal 14 to start the diagnosis (step S102, see FIG. 5(A)). Next, the processor 120 determines whether the subject U has operated the 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), the processor 120 starts a countdown display (step S106, see FIGS. 5(B) to 5(D)). On the other hand, if the subject U has not operated the button (step S104: NO), the processor 120 proceeds to the processing of step S102.

[0044] The processor 120 determines a question to be presented to the subject U based on the acquired subject information (step S108). That is, the processor 120 refers to the question history information from the acquired subject information and determines a question so that the same question is not presented within a short period of time.

[0045] When the countdown ends, the processor 120 presents a question to the subject U via the question presenting unit 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.

[0046] After hiding the question, the processor 120 displays the voice capture screen and simultaneously displays a countdown (step S116; see FIGS. 5(F), 6(A), and 6(B)). Next, the 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), the processor 120 analyzes the captured voice data (step S120). On the other hand, if the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S118: NO), the processor 120 proceeds to the processing of step S116.

[0047] The processor 120 stores the acquired voice data in the storage unit 22, inputs it into the trained model 222 via the cognitive function evaluation unit 248, and performs analysis based on the voice data (step S120). Upon completion of the analysis, the processor 120 evaluates cognitive function based on the analysis results (step S122). The evaluation results are stored in the processing result DB 230, and the processor 120 outputs the results via the display of the user terminal 14 or an external tool (step S124, see FIG. 6(C)), thereby ending the processing. Note that the "question presentation step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-described step S110. Furthermore, the "presentation management step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-described steps S112, S114, and S116. Furthermore, the "voice acquisition step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-described steps S116 and S118. Furthermore, the "cognitive function evaluation step" in claim 1 corresponds to the above-described steps S120 and S122. Furthermore, the "query optimization step" in claim 4 corresponds to the above-mentioned steps S100 and S108.

[0048] (Effects of One Embodiment) The information processing system 10 according to this embodiment includes a question presentation 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 a voice response 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 voice response. In this embodiment, the presentation management step hides the question after a predetermined time has elapsed under a predetermined condition, so the subject U cannot answer the question while looking at it. In other words, the subject U needs to memorize the question for a short period of time. "Short-term" means that the question is memorized within a certain period of time (e.g., several seconds to several tens of seconds) after it is presented and is used to answer immediately thereafter. Therefore, the subject U memorizes the question content while it is presented and answers the question based on that memory within a short period of time. This allows for the acquisition of voice response data that reflects the subject U's short-term memory ability and cognitive processing ability based on that information. This enables accurate evaluation of cognitive function. This allows for more accurate evaluation of the subject U's cognitive function.

[0049] Furthermore, the presentation management step displays a countdown until 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 condition where a certain amount of stress is placed on the subject U's thinking ability, and the cognitive function is evaluated based on the voice response, thereby making it possible to more accurately grasp the ability of the subject U's target cognitive function.

[0050] Furthermore, the method includes a question optimization step of acquiring question presentation history information and determining questions to be presented in the question presentation step based on the presentation history information. This allows optimal questions to be presented taking into account each subject U's individual answer tendencies and past question history. This prevents the subject U from memorizing questions over the long term due to being presented with the same questions. Avoiding frequent presentation of the same questions improves the diversity and reliability of the assessment, allowing for more comprehensive judgments. Furthermore, optimizing questions based on past response data allows for continuous monitoring of changes and progress in individual cognitive function, enabling precise and appropriate cognitive function assessments.

[0051] Furthermore, after the question is displayed for a predetermined period of time, the question is hidden and the screen transitions to the voice capture screen. In other words, since the subject U proceeds to the voice capture process without performing any button operations after the question is presented, the subject U is prevented from preparing to answer. This allows for more natural voice data to be acquired from the subject U, enabling a more accurate and appropriate cognitive function assessment. The question presentation screen (see FIG. 5E) is configured without an operation unit that accepts the subject U's operation, such as a voice stop button (see FIG. 5A), preventing the transition from the question presentation screen to the voice capture screen from being delayed due to the subject U's operation. In other words, by configuring the screen not to accept operations by the subject U or the like when the question is presented, it is possible to prevent the subject U from memorizing the question under advantageous conditions by extending the question presentation time through operation intervention.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the configuration includes a question optimization step, but the configuration is not limited to this, and questions may be presented randomly or in a predetermined order.

[0053] Furthermore, in the presentation management step, the display is hidden when a predetermined condition is met. However, other dynamic management may be performed when a predetermined condition is met, such as presenting information related to the question, providing hints, switching between visual and audio presentation, or displaying only part of the question. That is, by presenting information related to the question or providing hints, it is possible to encourage a subject U who is unable to answer the question at all simply by being presented with the question to respond. This makes it possible to evaluate the cognitive function of the subject U in various cognitive function states. Furthermore, by switching between visual and audio presentation, more detailed information regarding the cognitive function of the subject U can be obtained. For example, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the cognitive function characteristics of a subject who responds strongly to visual information and a subject who responds strongly to audio information. This switching can clarify which form of information processing the subject U excels at or which form he or she has weaknesses in. This allows for a more accurate and multifaceted evaluation of the subject U's information processing ability, memory, attention, and comprehension in detail. As a result, it is possible to more accurately evaluate the cognitive function of the subject U. Furthermore, by displaying only a portion of the question, it is possible to evaluate the process by which the subject U gradually grasps the overall picture of the problem. By presenting a portion of the question and then providing additional information, 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.

[0054] Furthermore, in the presentation management step, a countdown display is performed until the answer deadline, but this is not limiting, and the time until the answer deadline may be displayed using a progress bar, color change, audio notification, animation display of a clock or hourglass, etc. Also, a countdown display may not be performed.

[0055] Furthermore, although the process for presenting a question is initiated when the subject U operates the diagnosis start button, the process may be initiated when a predetermined condition is met, such as when a predetermined time has elapsed or when gaze detection indicates that the subject U is looking at the display. This allows the process to proceed smoothly even for subject U who is not familiar with UI operations.

[0056] <Additional Notes> This embodiment includes the following disclosure.

[0057] (Supplementary Note 1) An information processing method executed by an information processing device, comprising: a question presentation step of presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step of dynamically managing presentations 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.

[0058] (Supplementary Note 2) The information processing method according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the presentation management step hides the presented question when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

[0059] (Supplementary Note 3) The information processing method according to Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2, wherein the presentation management step displays a countdown to a reply deadline.

[0060] (Supplementary Note 4) The information processing method according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, further comprising: 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.

[0061] (Supplementary Note 5) A program for causing an information processing device to execute an information processing method including: a processing instruction acquisition step for acquiring processing instruction information that instructs processing; a question presentation step for presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step for dynamically managing presentations including the question; a voice acquisition step for acquiring a voice response from the subject to the question; and a cognitive function evaluation step for evaluating the cognitive function of the subject based on the acquired voice response.

[0062] (Supplementary Note 6) An information processing system executed by an information processing device, comprising: a question presentation unit that presents a question to a subject; a presentation management unit that dynamically manages presentations 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.

[0063] The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered limiting. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not by the meaning described above, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0064] The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-105984, filed on July 1, 2024, is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. All documents, patent applications, and technical standards mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document, patent application, and technical standard was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.

Claims

1. An information processing method executed by an information processing device, comprising: 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, wherein after the question is presented in the presentation management step, the information processing method proceeds to the voice acquisition step without accepting any operation from the subject.

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

3. The information processing method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the presentation management step displays a countdown to a deadline for reply.

4. The information processing method according to claim 1, further comprising 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.

5. A program for causing an information processing device to execute an information processing method, the program comprising: a question presentation step of presenting a question to a subject; a presentation management step of dynamically managing presentations 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, wherein after presenting the question in the presentation management step, the program proceeds to the voice acquisition step without accepting any operation from the subject.

6. An information processing system having an information processing device, comprising: a question presentation unit that presents a question to a subject; a presentation management unit that dynamically manages presentations 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, wherein after the presentation management unit presents the question, the information processing system proceeds to the process of acquiring the response voice by the voice acquisition unit without accepting any operation from the subject.

Images