Abstract
The kinematics of human actions are influenced by the social context in which they are performed. Motion-capture technology has allowed researchers to build up a detailed and complex picture of how action kinematics vary across different social contexts. Here we review three task domains—point-to-point imitation tasks, motor interference tasks and reach-to-grasp tasks—to critically evaluate how these tasks can inform our understanding of social interactions. First, we consider how actions within these task domains are performed in a non-social context, before highlighting how a plethora of social cues can perturb the baseline kinematics. We show that there is considerable overlap in the findings from these different tasks domains but also highlight the inconsistencies in the literature and the possible reasons for this. Specifically, we draw attention to the pitfalls of dealing with rich, kinematic data. As a way to avoid these pitfalls, we call for greater standardisation and clarity in the reporting of kinematic measures and suggest the field would benefit from a move towards more naturalistic tasks.
Highlights
How an action is performed can differ significantly based on context; a simple reaching action such as picking up a pen to sign one's name could be performed with a victorious flourish, or shaky reluctance
Many of our actions take place in a social context, so understanding what factors influence the kinematics of our imitative movements is important for theories of both motor control and social cognition (Wolpert et al, 2003)
The second theory is the social top-down response modulation (STORM) model (Wang and Hamilton, 2012) which focuses on the social modulation of imitation, beyond simple perception-action links
Summary
How an action is performed can differ significantly based on context; a simple reaching action such as picking up a pen to sign one's name could be performed with a victorious flourish, or shaky reluctance. A growing number of studies are using motion capture and detailed kinematic analyses to examine questions relating to social interaction. We focus on the different methods that have been used and the ways in which kinematic data can be interpreted to evaluate social interaction. This paper reviews three major task domains where kinematic measures have been used to address social questions: (1) simple pointto-point movement tasks which are used to study imitative behaviour, (2) motor interference tasks and (3) reach-to-grasp tasks. We first review the characteristics of typical, non-social actions to set a baseline comparison. We place this within the framework of optimal control theory (Franklin and Wolpert, 2011; Wolpert et al, 1995) as a way to understand motor parameters. We review the various studies which have examined each action in a social context, and we consider what the findings mean and where the field can go
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