Video-based tracking approach for nonverbal synchrony: A comparison of Motion Energy Analysis and OpenPose.

The present study investigated the comparability of two video-based tracking techniques, namely, Motion Energy Analysis and OpenPose, in the context of nonverbal synchrony research. Participants aged 23-69 years held a 15-min unstructured conversation with a same-gender partner of the same generation. Each participant's movements were quantified with two algorithms, which were separately submitted to a wavelet transform to assess synchrony between the partners. Wavelet coherence and information in the relative phase were used to measure the intensities and patterns of synchrony, respectively. As a benchmark of the test results, gender effects and correlation with the Big Five personality traits were examined. Irrespective of the tracking technique used, the results consistently illustrated gender effects: female dyads showed more synchrony than male dyads. Among the Big Five personality traits, only Extraversion was significantly associated with synchrony in either tracking technique. The gender effect remained significant in both the tracking techniques even when controlling for personality traits, indicating that both individual (i.e., personality) and social (i.e., gender) factors contribute to synchrony. The use of video-tracking techniques in the research on synchrony for future studies was also discussed.

Relationships Among Valued Action, Behavioral Activation, Avoidance, and Reinforcement in a Sample of College Students.

Behavioral activation is a validated intervention for depression, which helps depressed people re-engage overt behaviors to facilitate contacts with reinforcing environmental contingencies and subsequent reductions in depression. Moreover, behavioral activation deals with values that are based on acceptance and commitment therapy. However, there is no empirical study that examines the role of behavior in line with values in behavioral activation. This study examined the role of behavior in line with values in behavioral activation by examining the association between behavior in line with values and variables of behavioral activation intervention targets, as well as the mediating effect of behavioral commitment. Japanese versions of the Personal Values Questionnaire II, the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale, the Environmental Reward Observation Scale, and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression were completed by 292 Japanese undergraduate students ( M age = 19.2 yr., SD = 1.7; 65 men, 226 women, 1 unknown). Results indicated that behavior in line with values was associated with focused, goal-directed activation and completion of scheduled activities, which were mediated by behavioral commitment to values.