Theme

Theme is built on a unique algorithm that searches for hidden repeated patterns in behavior and interactions, based on a model of the temporal organization of behavior. It considers both the order and the time distances between behavioral event types as well as hierarchical organization. The software behaves as an evolution program, in the sense that it detects complex patterns gradually as combinations of simpler ones and deals with combinatorial explosions through competition between patterns such that only the most complete patterns are retained (survive) while partial detections are discarded.

Theme can detect complex repeated patterns that are hidden to observers and very hard or impossible to detect with other available methods. The software includes various tools for the filtering and analysis of detected patterns on the basis of their frequency, complexity, structure, actor identity and behavioral content. Theme has been used extensively in studies of human communication, spoken dialogue, gestures, protocol analysis, etc. Other potential applications are the analysis of human-system interaction and navigation patterns in software user interfaces or web sites, detection of drug effects on behavior, behavioral disorders in human and animals, etc