How Shall I Count the Ways? A Method for Quantifying the Qualitative Aspects of Unscripted Movement With Laban Movement Analysis

There is significant clinical evidence showing that creative and expressive movement processes involved in dance/movement therapy (DMT) enhance psycho-social well-being. Yet, because movement is a complex phenomenon, statistically validating which aspects of movement change during interventions or lead to significant positive therapeutic outcomes is challenging because movement has multiple, overlapping variables appearing in unique patterns in different individuals and situations. One factor contributing to the therapeutic effects of DMT is movement’s effect on clients’ emotional states. Our previous study identified sets of movement variables which, when executed, enhanced specific emotions. In this paper, we describe how we selected movement variables for statistical analysis in that study, using a multi-stage methodology to identify, reduce, code, and quantify the multitude of variables present in unscripted movement. We suggest a set of procedures for using Laban Movement Analysis (LMA)-described movement variables as research data. Our study used LMA, an internationally accepted comprehensive system for movement analysis, and a primary DMT clinical assessment tool for describing movement. We began with Davis’s (1970) three-stepped protocol for analyzing movement patterns and identifying the most important variables: (1) We repeatedly observed video samples of validated (Atkinson et al., 2004) emotional expressions to identify prevalent movement variables, eliminating variables appearing minimally or absent. (2) We use the criteria repetition, frequency, duration and emphasis to eliminate additional variables. (3) For each emotion, we analyzed motor expression variations to discover how variables cluster: first, by observing ten movement samples of each emotion to identify variables common to all samples; second, by qualitative analysis of the two best-recognized samples to determine if phrasing, duration or relationship among variables was significant. We added three new steps to this protocol: (4) we created Motifs (LMA symbols) combining movement variables extracted in steps 1–3; (5) we asked participants in the pilot study to move these combinations and quantify their emotional experience. Based on the results of the pilot study, we eliminated more variables; (6) we quantified the remaining variables’ prevalence in each Motif for statistical analysis that examined which variables enhanced each emotion. We posit that our method successfully quantified unscripted movement data for statistical analysis

Bodily expressed emotion understanding through integrating Laban movement analysis

Body movements carry important information about a person's emotions or mental state and are essential in daily communication. Enhancing the ability of machines to understand emotions expressed through body language can improve the communication of assistive robots with children and elderly users, provide psychiatric professionals with quantitative diagnostic and prognostic assistance, and aid law enforcement in identifying deception. This study develops a high-quality human motor element dataset based on the Laban Movement Analysis movement coding system and utilizes that to jointly learn about motor elements and emotions. Our long-term ambition is to integrate knowledge from computing, psychology, and performing arts to enable automated understanding and analysis of emotion and mental state through body language. This work serves as a launchpad for further research into recognizing emotions through analysis of human movement

A Somatic Movement Approach to Fostering Emotional Resiliency through Laban Movement Analysis

Although movement has long been recognized as expressing emotion and as an agent of change for emotional state, there was a dearth of scientific evidence specifying which aspects of movement influence specific emotions. The recent identification of clusters of Laban movement components which elicit and enhance the basic emotions of anger, fear, sadness and happiness indicates which types of movements can affect these emotions (Shafir et al., 2016), but not how best to apply this knowledge. This perspective paper lays out a conceptual groundwork for how to effectively use these new findings to support emotional resiliency through voluntary choice of one's posture and movements. We suggest that three theoretical principles from Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) can guide the gradual change in movement components in one's daily movements to somatically support shift in affective state: (A) Introduce new movement components in developmental order; (B) Use LMA affinities-among-components to guide the expansion of expressive movement range and (C) Sequence change among components based on Laban's Space Harmony theory to support the gradual integration of that new range. The methods postulated in this article have potential to foster resiliency and provide resources for self-efficacy by expanding our capacity to adapt emotionally to challenges through modulating our movement responses

Timing of rhythmic movements.

The ability to accurately time joint displacement is crucial for motor coordination in general and for the performance of rhythmic movements in particular. This study examined how different task demands may alter motor timing. The effects of movement duration, velocity, direction, load, and external cueing on the timing variability of single- and multi-joint rhythmic arm movements were examined in young, healthy subjects. Subjects performed visually-guided, rhythmic pointing movements in the horizontal plane. During the single-joint experiment, movements were performed at four frequencies (1, 1.33, 1.66 and 2 Hz). For each frequency, movements were made at four mean velocities (20, 80, 140 and 200 deg/s) by manipulating movement amplitude. For each frequency-velocity combination, movements were made with and without load (1.33 kg) and with and without auditory cueing. During the multi-joint experiment, movements were performed at three frequencies (1, 1.33, 2 Hz), three velocities (122, 488, 855 mm/s), with and without load and cueing. Temporal and spatial variability at movement reversals and trajectory variability were measured in both experiments. For multi-joint movements, impulse size and variability were computed for the propelling (accelerating) and the braking (decelerating) interaction, muscle and inertial torques, acting at each joint. Joint kinematic variability (timing, spatial and trajectory) in both single- and multi-joint movements was decreased by increased velocity but was not affected by added load and cueing. Increased movement duration increased timing variability and decreased spatial and trajectory variability during single-joint movements, but had no effect during multi-joint movements. Kinematic variability at the hand during multi-joint movements was not affected by any of the task demands, and was lower than that at the joints. Variability of all impulses was reduced by increased velocity, but unaffected by movement duration, load and cueing. It is suggested that decreased variability at the hand compared to the joints imply handspace planning of multi-joint movements. The absence of a cueing effect indicates high accuracy of the 'internal clock' during perception and production of timing intervals of 250--500 ms. Lastly, the differential effect of task demands on impulse variability and consequently on joint kinematic variability may originate from differences in motor unit recruitment patterns.Ph.D.Biological SciencesHealth and Environmental SciencesKinesiologyNeurosciencesUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/123697/2/3096195.pd

A Somatic Movement Approach to Fostering Emotional Resiliency through Laban Movement Analysis

Although movement has long been recognized as expressing emotion and as an agent of change for emotional state, there was a dearth of scientific evidence specifying which aspects of movement influence specific emotions. The recent identification of clusters of Laban movement components which elicit and enhance the basic emotions of anger, fear, sadness and happiness indicates which types of movements can affect these emotions (Shafir et al., 2016), but not how best to apply this knowledge. This perspective paper lays out a conceptual groundwork for how to effectively use these new findings to support emotional resiliency through voluntary choice of one’s posture and movements. We suggest that three theoretical principles from Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) can guide the gradual change in movement components in one’s daily movements to somatically support shift in affective state: (A) Introduce new movement components in developmental order; (B) Use LMA affinities-among-components to guide the expansion of expressive movement range and (C) Sequence change among components based on Laban’s Space Harmony theory to support the gradual integration of that new range. The methods postulated in this article have potential to foster resiliency and provide resources for self-efficacy by expanding our capacity to adapt emotionally to challenges through modulating our movement responses

Thinking, walking, talking : integratory motor and cognitive brain function

In this article, we argue that motor and cognitive processes are functionally related and most likely share a similar evolutionary history. This is supported by clinical and neural data showing that some brain regions integrate both motor and cognitive functions. In addition, we also argue that cognitive processes coincide with complex motor output. Further, we also review data that support the converse notion that motor processes can contribute to cognitive function, as found by many rehabilitation and aerobic exercise training programs. Support is provided for motor and cognitive processes possessing dynamic bidirectional influences on each other

Emotion Regulation through Movement: Unique Sets of Movement Characteristics are Associated with and Enhance Basic Emotions

We have recently demonstrated that motor execution, observation, and imagery of movements expressing certain emotions can enhance corresponding affective states and therefore could be used for emotion regulation. But which specific movement(s) should one use in order to enhance each emotion? This study aimed to identify, using Laban Movement Analysis (LMA), the Laban motor elements (motor characteristics) that characterize movements whose execution enhances each of the basic emotions: anger, fear, happiness, and sadness. LMA provides a system of symbols describing its motor elements, which gives a written instruction (motif) for the execution of a movement or movement-sequence over time. Six senior LMA experts analyzed a validated set of video clips showing whole body dynamic expressions of anger, fear, happiness and sadness, and identified the motor elements that were common to (appeared in) all clips expressing the same emotion. For each emotion, we created motifs of different combinations of the motor elements common to all clips of the same emotion. Eighty subjects from around the world read and moved those motifs, to identify the emotion evoked when moving each motif and to rate the intensity of the evoked emotion. All subjects together moved and rated 1241 motifs, which were produced from 29 different motor elements. Using logistic regression, we found a set of motor elements associated with each emotion which, when moved, predicted the feeling of that emotion. Each emotion was predicted by a unique set of motor elements and each motor element predicted only one emotion. Knowledge of which specific motor elements enhance specific emotions can enable emotional self-regulation through adding some desired motor qualities to one's personal everyday movements (rather than mimicking others' specific movements) and through decreasing motor behaviors which include elements that enhance negative emotions

Measurements with an FBG inscribed on a new type of polymer fibre

We present our latest achievements measuring the effects of temperature and pressure on a Bragg grating inscribed on a new type of non-PMMA polymer optical fibre. The fibre is produced using the Light Polymerization Spinning (LPS) process and the Bragg grating is written using a plane-by-plane femto-second laser inscription method. In particular, the 580 micron core fibre was designed to have a very low Young's modulus.Harz University of Applied Sciences,Photonic Communications Lab (PCL

Characteristics of photo polymerized polymer optical fibres, optical properties and femtosecond laser inscription of Bragg gratings

To summarise, we have shown that fibre Bragg gratings may be inscribed onto the new type of polymer optical fibres that has been developed based on an advanced, single-step and highly scalable UV curing (photo-polymerization) process. The fibres show, at the moment, relatively high transmission losses but further improvements are under way. The FBGs were straight-forward to inscribe, with the fibres showing good mechanical properties. The FBG responses were measured and presented showing expected characteristics. These are just initial results that will be studied more deeply and improved in the near future