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Phase Transitions and Critical Fluctuations in the Visual Coordination of Rhythmic Movements Between People

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Richard C Schmidt at College of the Holy Cross
Richard C Schmidt
Claudia Carello
Claudia Carello
Claudia Carello
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M. T. Turvey
M. T. Turvey
M. T. Turvey
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By watching each other's lower oscillating leg, 2 seated Ss kept a common tempo and a particular phase relation of either 0 degrees (symmetric mode) or 180 degrees (alternate mode). This study investigated the differential stability of the 2 phase modes. In Experiment 1, in which Ss were instructed to remain in the initial phase mode, the alternate phase mode was found to be less stable as the frequency of oscillation increased. In addition, analysis of the nonsteady state cycles revealed evidence of a switching to the symmetric phase mode for the initial alternate phase mode trials. In Experiments 2 and 3, Ss were instructed to remain at a noninitial phase angle if it was found to be more comfortable. The transition observed between the 2 phase modes satisfies the criteria of a physical bifurcation--hysteresis, critical fluctuations, and divergence--and is consonant with previous findings on transitions in limb coordination within a person.
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... This behavioral pattern exhibits all the ingredients of synergetics, including the phase transition and the so-called critical fluctuations and critical slowing-down. Schmidt et al. [23] conducted a similar experiment but with two people instead of one ( Figure 2, center). The two people were asked to move their lower legs in an antiparallel fashion and to watch each other closely while doing so. ...
... Schmidt et al. [23] conducted a similar experiment but with two people instead of one (Figure 2, center). The two people were asked to move their lower legs in an antiparallel fashion and to watch each other closely while doing so. ...
... The subjects move their fingers in continuous fashion while at the same time observing their partner doing the same. The paradigm's simultaneity of dyadic perception and action-bidirectional coupling-is geared toward observing self-organizing processes.Schmidt et al.[23] conducted a similar experiment but with two people instead of one(Figure 2, center). The two people were asked to move their lower legs in an anti- ...
Complexity, Coordination Dynamics and the Urban Landscape
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  • May 2024
Similar to living complex systems, cities are composed of a huge number of interacting parts, each with its specific properties, rhythm, etc., that, by means of self-organization, give rise to a functioning complex system. A major challenge is thus to follow the self-organized adaptation process by which the huge number of diverse parts coordinate their action and behavior into a coherent whole. Coordination dynamics, the science of coordination, elaborates on this issue, showing how patterns of coordination form, adapt, persist and change in living things. Recent studies on cities and complexity exposed that human agents differ from other living things in that they adapt not only through behavior but also through the construction of artifacts, thus giving rise to hybrid complex systems (HCSs) and to cities as such. This entails a new challenge regarding the various aspects and roles of artifacts in coordination dynamics. This study introduces the notions of hybrid complex systems and coordination dynamics and then focuses on one aspect that concerns coordination in cities: the ways the artificial urban landscape participates in coordinating the dynamics between the human urban agents.
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... System components will coordinate to the extent that they are: i) moving at sufficiently similar rates and ii) are coupledthat is, there is potential for transfer of information between the components. Of note, such coupling can be attentional whereby a perceptual link between components 1 is sufficient to drive the emergence of spontaneous coordination (Cummins, 2009;Meschner et al., 2001;Schmidt et al., 1990). In this way, the HKB model indicates that factors that serve to strengthen, or weaken, the attentional coupling shape the stability of coordination. ...
Do attentional focus and partner gaze impact interpersonal coordination?
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As a foundation for social interaction, interpersonal coordination is facilitated by positive social qualities (e.g., cooperation), but undermined in negative contexts (e.g., conflict). Exactly how social factors shape coordination is less clear. Previous literature notes that the way people attend to others impacts how interactions unfold. It is possible therefore, that patterns of social attention also govern coordination. We examined this proposition by using virtual reality to investigate how attentional focus (self vs. other) and partner gaze (direct vs. averted) influence the spontaneous emergence of coordination. The results indicated that: (i) coordination was enhanced in the other (cf. self) focus condition; (ii) coordination was diminished in the averted (cf. direct) gaze condition. These findings suggest that changes in social attention impact interpersonal coordination. More broadly, this work provides further evidence that the emergence of interpersonal coordination fluctuates as a function of social context.
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... P. Swinnen & Carson, 2002). Findings from such research have found only two inherently stable modes of coordination, 1:1 in-phase (ϕ = 0 o ) and anti-phase (ϕ = 180 o ), generally with in-phase more stable than anti-phase (e.g., Gorman & Crites, 2015;Kovacs, Buchanan, & Shea, 2009a, 2009bRichardson, Marsh, Isenhower, Goodman, & Schmidt, 2007;Riek, Carson, & Byblow, 1992;Schmidt, Carello, & Turvey, 1990;Scholz & Kelso, 1989;Semjen, Summers, & Cattaert, 1995;J. J. Summers, Maeder, Hiraga, & Alexander, 2008). ...
Human Movement Science 95 (2024) 103199 The effect of inherent and incidental constraints on bimanual force control in simulated Martian gravity
Article
  • Mar 2024
  • HUM MOVEMENT SCI
The ability to coordinate actions between the limbs is important for many operationally relevant tasks associated with space exploration. A future milestone in space exploration is sending humans to Mars. Therefore, an experiment was designed to examine the influence of inherent and incidental constraints on the stability characteristics associated with the bimanual control of force in simulated Martian gravity. A head-up tilt (HUT)/head-down tilt (HDT) paradigm was used to simulate gravity on Mars (22.3 • HUT). Right limb dominant participants (N = 11) were required to rhythmically coordinate patterns of isometric forces in 1:1 in-phase and 1:2 multifrequency patterns by exerting force with their right and left limbs. Lissajous displays were provided to guide task performance. Participants performed 14 twenty-second practice trials at 90 • HUT (Earth). Following a 30-min rest period, participants performed 2 test trials for each coordination pattern in both Earth and Mars conditions. Performance during the test trials were compared. Results indicated very effective temporal performance of the goal coordination tasks in both gravity conditions. However, results indicated differences associated with the production of force between Earth and Mars. In general, participants produced less force in simulated Martian gravity than in the Earth condition. In addition, force production was more harmonic in Martian gravity than Earth gravity for both limbs, indicating that less force distortions (adjustments, hesitations, and/or perturbations) occurred in the Mars condition than in the Earth condition. The force coherence analysis indicated significantly higher coherence in the 1:1 task than in the 1:2 task for all force frequency bands, with the highest level of coherence in the 1-4 Hz frequency band for both gravity conditions. High coherence in the 1-4 Hz frequency band is associated with a common neural drive that activates the two arms simultaneously and is consistent with the requirements of the two tasks. The results also support the notion that neural crosstalk stabilizes the performance of the 1:1 in-phase task. In addition, significantly higher coherence in the 8-12 Hz frequency bands were observed for the Earth condition than the Mars condition. Force coherence in the 8-12 Hz bands is associated with the processing of sensorimotor information, suggesting that participants were better at integrating visual, proprioceptive, and/or tactile feedback in Earth than for the Mars condition. Overall, the results indicate less neural interference in Martian gravity; however, participants appear to be more effective at using the Lissajous displays to guide performance under Earth's gravity.
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... Synchronicity of rhythmic movements acts as an interactional (social) baseline for the performance behaviour. This is true between partners (cooperative actions), as occurring between the rhythmic limb movements of two interacting individuals (Schmidt, Carello & Turvey, 1990), either intentionally or unintentionally (Schmidt & O'Brien, 1997;Richardson, Marsh, Isenhower, Goodman & Schmidt, 2007). But it also holds between opponents (competitive actions): Shimizu & Okada (2021) investigated the coordination of expert break dancers in battle scenes, measuring their rhythmic movements. ...
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  • Feb 2024
This theoretical paper develops the social dimension of the constraints model in relation to skill acquisition and sports performance. First, it presents the evolution of the constraints model since the original proposal by Newell (1986), later developed and applied to physical activities and sport by ecological dynamics. The underrepresentation and misplacement of the social dimension within the constraints model so far, leads to the proposal of a novel analysis, taking into account both the constitutive (S) and interactive (s) facets of the social. Such an analysisnot only detects the social dimension of performer, task, environmental and informationalconstraints, but also helps to suggest two new kinds of constraints: volitionaland semiotic. The paper then suggests a new enhanced model of constraintsthat helps to gain new insights into the question of agency in relation to the processof decision-making during the dynamic interactions of subject-environment.
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How and Why People Synchronize: An Integrated Perspective
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  • May 2024
  • PERS SOC PSYCHOL REV
Interpersonal synchrony, the alignment of behavior and/or physiology during interactions, is a pervasive phenomenon observed in diverse social contexts. Here we synthesize across contexts and behaviors to classify the different forms and functions of synchrony. We provide a concise framework for classifying the manifold forms of synchrony along six dimensions: periodicity, discreteness, spatial similarity, directionality, leader–follower dynamics, and observability. We also distill the various proposed functions of interpersonal synchrony into four interconnected functions: reducing complexity and improving understanding, accomplishing joint tasks, strengthening social connection, and influencing partners’ behavior. These functions derive from first principles, emerge from each other, and are accomplished by some forms of synchrony more than others. Effective synchrony flexibly adapts to social goals and more synchrony is not always better. Our synthesis offers a shared framework and language for the field, allowing for better cross-context and cross-behavior comparisons, generating new hypotheses, and highlighting future research directions.
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How to Control Unpredictable Others in Court-net Sports
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  • Feb 2024
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This year, we lost a giant in the field of perception and action, Michael T. Turvey. This special issue is dedicated to the impact that he made on his students and the field. I learned about ecological psychology just as I was headed to graduate school in 1990. Through Michael's teachings and my own academic career that followed, I recognized that the inseparability of organism and environment that was fundamental to ecological psychology was part of the larger story of a systems perspective that itself helped to frame questions of causality from Aristotle and the problematic division of subject and object inherited from Descartes. In this mini review, I identify fundamental concepts in systems science from an academic perspective, but I extend that same reasoning to life beyond science. Together with his wife, Claudia Carello, who was also the director of the Center for the Ecological Study of Perception and Action (CESPA) at the University of Connecticut, Michael taught, mentored, and cared for his students within the same systems framework. It is that broader lesson for how to teach and mentor students that I offer to honor his memory today.
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Mini-review: Biological Movements as Objects of Natural Science
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BACKGROUND: Two approaches to biological movement have dominated the field, the computational approach (internal models) and the approach based on laws of nature pioneered by several researchers including Michael Turvey. AIM AND METHOD: We review a body of literature exploring and expanding the approach based on laws of nature. We show, in particular, how this approach fits the philosophical traditions of Merleau-Ponty, the theory of control with spatial referent coordinates, the principle of abundance, and the concept of performance-stabilizing synergies using the uncontrolled manifold hypothesis. RESULTS: Currently, this scheme of motor control has been applied successfully in studies of a variety of effectors, from single motor units to the whole body, a variety of tasks, and various populations. It led to the discovery of new phenomena and new interpretations of known phenomena. It has been productive in studies of neurological patients offering new understanding of some of the common pathologies (e.g., spasticity) and new tools for early diagnosis of various subcortical disorders and monitoring treatment effects. CONCLUSION: Currently, this field faces a number of challenges including the following: Mapping steps in the hierarchical control scheme on neurophysiological structures and circuits, understanding the relative role of intra-muscle (spinal) and multi-effector (supraspinal) synergies, expanding studies of movements in intact animals and animal preparation, and moving beyond the current scheme to fields traditionally associated with psychology. Just like the current scheme represents moving “outside the box” of classical mechanics, a step outside the current thinking is needed.
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How to control unpredictable others in court-net sports
Preprint
Full-text available
  • Dec 2023
Competition in sports does not involve a single solution because individuals aim to behave unpredictably, thereby preventing others from predicting their actions. This study determined how individuals in court net sports tried to control others' unpredictable behavior, thereby addressing the gap of the lack of clarity about strategies employed by individuals in competitive situations. We employed a switching hybrid dynamics model, considering external inputs when analyzing individual behaviors. The study shows that skilled individuals, unlike intermediate players, exhibit greater regularity in their behavior, lead others to anticipate this regularity, and employ strategies to disrupt these expectations. This strategy exploits the principles of active human inference, implying that competition involves cooperation. We revealed this by analyzing both human decision-making and behavior in actual matches as discrete and continuous dynamical systems. This strategy helps policymakers adopt a new policy targeting cooperation with competitors, which would increase competitiveness in our daily lives.
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Visual perception of lifted weight
Article
Full-text available
  • Aug 1981
The weight of a box can be seen by observing another person lifting and carrying it. Evidence for this phenomenon is provided in 2 experiments, the first of which employed videotaped events with the actor and box visible only as 21 bright patches. Observers (26 25–55 yr old undergraduates and faculty members) judged the weight of the box linearly with an average slope of .87 and with a pooled standard deviation of 3.8 kg. Exp II compared visual and haptic perception of box weight in similar events under conditions of live action. Average slopes of 1.00 in the visual mode and 1.20 in the haptic mode were obtained with standard deviations of 3.1 and 2.0 kg, respectively. It is concluded that the weight of the box, as a dynamic variable of the event, was well specified in the kinematic pattern and hence in the optic array. Furthermore, the visual system was efficient in picking up such information. (15 ref)
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Cooperative Phenomena in Biological Motion
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Full-text available
  • Jan 1985
The production of a “simple” utterance, such as the syllable /ba/, involves the cooperation of a large number of neuromuscular elements operating on different time scales, e.g., at respiratory, laryngeal, and supralaryngeal levels. Yet somehow, from this huge dimensionality, /ba/ emerges as a coherent and well-formed pattern. Similarly, were one to count the neurons, muscles, and joints that cooperate to produce the “simple” act of walking, literally thousands of degrees of freedom would be involved. Yet again, somehow walking emerges as a fundamentally low-dimensional cyclical pattern—in the language of dynamical systems, a periodic attractor. In physics, an infinite dimensional system, described by a complicated set of partial, nonlinear differential equations can be reduced—when probed experimentally or analyzed theoretically—to a low-dimensional description [1,2]. In all these cases, it seems, information about the system is compressed—from a microscopic basis of huge dimensionality—to a macroscopic basis of low dimensionality.
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Introduction to Synergetics
Chapter
  • Jan 1973
In many disciplines of science we deal with systems composed of many subsystems. A few examples, mainly taken from topics in this book, are listed in Fig. 1. Very often the properties of the large system can not be explained by a mear random superposition of actions of the subsystems. Quite on the contrary the subsystems behave in a well organized manner, so that the total system is in an ordered state or shows actions which one might even call purposeful. Furthermore one often observes more or less abrupt changes between disorder and order or transitions between different states of order. Thus the question arises, who are the mysterious demons who tell the subsystems in which way to behave so to create order, or, in a more scientific language, which are the principles by which order is created.
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Behavioral and Neural Pattern Generation: The Concept of Neurobehavioral Dynamical Systems
Article
  • Jan 1991
The concept of neurobehavioral dynamical system (NBDS) is introduced as a unifying explanation of the following facts of neural and behavioral patterns generation, namely: 1) that numerous physical mechanisms are capable of realizing the same neural and behavioral patterns; 2) that the same network can produce multiple patterns, a feature known as multifunctionality; and, 3) that networks can switch flexibly and spontaneously from one configuration to another under certain influences. Synergetic phase transitions provide the methodological strategy through which to discover laws of neural and behavioral pattern generation. At transitions, patterns arise in a self-organized fashion, as collective states produced by coupled nonlinear dynamics. Identified laws: 1) possess so-called ‘universal’ properties, governing dynamical behavior on several scales of observation (e.g. individual neurons, neural networks, kinematics...) and in different systems (thereby accounting for fact #1 above); 2) exhibit multistability and bifurcation depending on parameter values (fact #2 above); and 3) are stochastic, fluctuations playing a key role in probing the stability of the pattern dynamics and promoting labile change (fact #3). In a NBDS, it is not necessary to posit a separate pattern generator for each observed behavior. Rather, where the system “lives” in the parameter space of the law, determines whether ordered or irregular patterns are observed. Linkage among different levels of description is by virtue of shared dynamical laws, which incorporate both chance and choice.
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An ecological approach to perception and action
Article
  • Dec 1984
This chapter discusses ecological approach to perception and action. Bernstein believes that the role of “afferentation” in the guidance of activity is the significant role, even though afferentation as a trigger of reflexes has a better scientific pedigree and is better understood by physiologists. The triggering role of afference assumed prominence because of the tendency to focus research on artificial movements—discrete responses made to momentary and punctate stimuli—rather than on activities resolving environmentally defined problems. Bernstein considered this triggering role of afference, developed as it was in the context of the reflex arc, to be overvalued and pointed out two unwelcome consequences of this overvaluation. The chapter discusses Gibson's ecological program. The contrast of indicational information and specification information parallels that of discrete symbol strings and continuous dynamical processes or, equivalently, rate-independent structures and rate-dependent processes.
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