Trimodal Analysis Research Articles

Correlated expression of the body, face, and voice during character portrayal in actors

Actors are required to engage in multimodal modulations of their body, face, and voice in order to create a holistic portrayal of a character during performance. We present here the first trimodal analysis, to our knowledge, of the process of character portrayal in professional actors. The actors portrayed a series of stock characters (e.g., king, bully) that were organized according to a predictive scheme based on the two orthogonal personality dimensions of assertiveness and cooperativeness. We used 3D motion capture technology to analyze the relative expansion/contraction of 6 body segments across the head, torso, arms, and hands. We compared this with previous results for these portrayals for 4 segments of facial expression and the vocal parameters of pitch and loudness. The results demonstrated significant cross-modal correlations for character assertiveness (but not cooperativeness), as manifested collectively in a straightening of the head and torso, expansion of the arms and hands, lowering of the jaw, and a rise in vocal pitch and loudness. These results demonstrate what communication theorists refer to as “multichannel reinforcement”. We discuss this reinforcement in light of both acting theories and theories of human communication more generally.

Development of the tibiofemoral angle in a cohort of Nigerian children during the first 3 years of life

Findings from cross-sectional studies of knee angle development in Nigerian children vary in values and in the age at which the varus angle changes to the valgus angle. This study was conducted to describe knee angle development and to determine the age when the knee angle changes from the varus to the valgus angle. This was a longitudinal survey of 152 Nigerian children recruited within 3weeks of life and followed up monthly until age 3years. Their knee angle was measured using clinical methods. The mean tibio-femoral/varus knee angle (13.2±3.8°) at birth-3weeks of life decreased sharply to 5.6±0.7° at 9months, increased slightly to 6.3±1.1° at 13months, and then decreased again up to age 18months (0.3±2.1°). The mean valgus knee angle increased from -2.4±2.5° at 19months of life to -8.5±2.5° at 27months and then decreased to -7.7±2.2° at 36months. Intercondylar/intermalleolar distances (ICD/IMD) showed a similar pattern, changing from an extreme varus knee (ICD) at birth-3weeks of life (2.5±0.7cm), decreasing to 0.6±0.2cm at 9months, increasing to 0.8±0.5cm at 12months, and decreasing to 0.1±0.4cm at 15months. The mean IMD increased from -0.1±0.8cm at 16months of life to -2.0±1.5cm at 29months and then decreased up to 36months. Our tri-modal analysis showed that the transition from the varus to the valgus angle was between 18 and 19months. Our findings suggest that the developmental pattern of the knee angle in Nigerian children is at maximal varus at birth, neutral at 18months of life, and valgus at 19months, with the valgus angle continuing to increase up to 36months.