Affective Responses Mediate the Body Language of Penalty Taker - Decision-Making Relationship from Soccer Goalkeepers.

Purpose: Previous studies have shown that penalty-takers' body language affects the impressions that goalkeepers form about them and their anticipation performance. This research aimed to replicate these results and test the mediating effect of threat/challenge responses on the relationship between impression formation and the quality of goalkeeper decision-making. Methods and Results: We report 2 experiments. The first showed that participants (goalkeepers) form more positive impressions and have a lower expectation of success from dominant penalty-takers than submissive penalty-takers, and the second showed under pressure conditions that goalkeepers' decision-making was significantly less accurate against dominant players than against submissive players. In addition, we found that the more goalkeepers perceived the penalty-taker as competent, the more threatened they felt; conversely, the less they perceived the penalty-taker as competent, the more challenged they felt. Conclusion: Finally, our analysis showed that participants' cognitive appraisal (challenge vs. threat) influenced the quality of their decision-making and played a partial mediating role in the relationship between impression formation and decision-making.

Multi-modal analysis of infant cry types characterization: Acoustics, body language and brain signals.

BACKGROUND: Infant crying is the first attempt babies use to communicate during their initial months of life. A misunderstanding of the cry message can compromise infant care and future neurodevelopmental process. METHODS: An exploratory study collecting multimodal data (i.e., crying, electroencephalography (EEG), near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), facial expressions, and body movements) from 38 healthy full-term newborns was conducted. Cry types were defined based on different conditions (i.e., hunger, sleepiness, fussiness, need to burp, and distress). Statistical analysis, Machine Learning (ML), and Deep Learning (DL) techniques were used to identify relevant features for cry type classification and to evaluate a robust DL algorithm named Acoustic MultiStage Interpreter (AMSI). RESULTS: Significant differences were found across cry types based on acoustics, EEG, NIRS, facial expressions, and body movements. Acoustics and body language were identified as the most relevant ML features to support the cause of crying. The DL AMSI algorithm achieved an accuracy rate of 92%. CONCLUSIONS: This study set a precedent for cry analysis research by highlighting the complexity of newborn cry expression and strengthening the potential use of infant cry analysis as an objective, reliable, accessible, and non-invasive tool for cry interpretation, improving the infant-parent relationship and ensuring family well-being.

Percepciones sobre la rehabilitación durante la pandemia por COVID-19 de las personas con discapacidad motora / People's perceptions with motor disabilities of rehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic

Antecedentes y objetivo: La Organización Mundial de la Salud declaró a la infección por COrona VIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) como pandemia y recomendó, como medida preventiva, el distanciamiento social. Esto afectó a todos los tratamientos médico-clínicos, incluidos los relacionados con el proceso de rehabilitación física. El objetivo fue describir las percepciones sobre el proceso de rehabilitación debido a las modificaciones experimentadas por las personas con discapacidad motora de un hospital de rehabilitación durante la pandemia por COVID-19. Pacientes y métodos: Diseño cualitativo. La muestra elegida fue por conveniencia y el análisis de datos fue por análisis temático, el cual permite identificar, analizar y reportar temas relevantes. Las entrevistas se realizaron a pacientes atendidos en la División de Kinesiología. Criterios de inclusión: adultos> 18 años, diagnóstico de discapacidad motora, en tratamiento kinésico ≥ 1 mes de forma ambulatoria, con alta temprana de internación o internados en el momento de la realización del estudio y firma del consentimiento informado. Criterios de exclusión: alta kinésica por motivos diferentes a la COVID-19 y diagnóstico de enfermedad psiquiátrica. Resultados: La muestra se compuso de 16 participantes. El 31,2% era de sexo femenino. Doce presentaron diversas alteraciones neurológicas y 4, secuelas de amputación. Se identificaron 4 temas principales: importancia de la rehabilitación, modificaciones/interrupción del tratamiento, actividades de la vida diaria y telerrehabilitación. Conclusiones: Se describieron las percepciones sobre el proceso de rehabilitación y el impacto en las modificaciones experimentadas en las personas con discapacidad motora. Destacamos la importancia de la telerrehabilitación como un recurso alternativo.(AU)

Background and objective: The World Health Organization declared COrona VIrus Disease 19 (COVID-19) a pandemic and recommended social distancing as a preventive measure. This affected all medical–clinical treatments, including those related to the physical rehabilitation process. The objective was to describe the perceptions about the rehabilitation process due to the modifications experienced by people with motor disabilities in a rehabilitation hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients and methods Qualitative design. The sample chosen was for convenience and the data analysis was by thematic analysis, which allows to identify, analyze and report themes. The interviews were conducted with patients seen in the physiotherapy división of the hospital. Inclusion criteria: adults >18 years old, diagnosis of motor disability, undergoing physical treatment ≥1 month on an outpatient basis, with early discharge from hospitalization or hospitalization at the time of the study and signing of the informed consent. Exclusion criteria: physical discharge for reasons other than COVID-19 and diagnosis of psychiatric illness. Results: The sample consisted of 16 participants. 31.2% were female. Twelve presented various neurological alterations and 4 amputation effects. Four main themes were identified: importance of rehabilitation, treatment modifications/interruption, activities of daily living and tele-rehabilitation. Conclusions: Perceptions about the rehabilitation process and the impact on the modifications experienced in people with motor disabilities were described. We highlight the importance of tele-rehabilitation as an alternative resource.(AU)

Empowerment Through Feminist Self-Defense: The IMPACT Lasts.

What do women learn in feminist self-defense that is empowering? This study examined the skills women used months and years after completing an IMPACT self-defense course. Ninety-seven survey participants described skills they had used and incorporated into their lives. The major themes that emerged through a classic grounded theory analysis were awareness, boundary setting, assertive body language, and managing adrenaline to prevent, interrupt, or stop uncomfortable, intrusive, or hostile behaviors. IMPACT-trained women did not engage in self-blaming or risky behavior and used their skills to prevent and interrupt aggressive behavior.

Automated Segmentation of the Mouse Body Language to Study Stimulus-Evoked Emotional Behaviors.

Understanding the neural basis of emotions is a critical step to uncover the biological substrates of neuropsychiatric disorders. To study this aspect in freely behaving mice, neuroscientists have relied on the observation of ethologically relevant bodily cues to infer the affective content of the subject, both in neutral conditions or in response to a stimulus. The best example of that is the widespread assessment of freezing in experiments testing both conditioned and unconditioned fear responses. While robust and powerful, these approaches come at a cost: they are usually confined within selected time windows, accounting for only a limited portion of the complexity of emotional fluctuation. Moreover, they often rely on visual inspection and subjective judgment, resulting in inconsistency across experiments and questionable result interpretations. To overcome these limitations, novel tools are arising, fostering a new avenue in the study of the mouse naturalistic behavior. In this work we developed a computational tool [stimulus-evoked behavioral tracking in 3D for rodents (SEB3R)] to automate and standardize an ethologically driven observation of freely moving mice. Using a combination of machine learning-based behavioral tracking and unsupervised cluster analysis, we identified statistically meaningful postures that could be used for empirical inference on a subsecond scale. We validated the efficacy of this tool in a stimulus-driven test, the whisker nuisance (WN) task, where mice are challenged with a prolonged and invasive whisker stimulation, showing that identified postures can be reliably used as a proxy for stimulus-driven fearful and explorative behaviors.

Factores pronósticos del resultado del tratamiento rehabilitador en la incontinencia urinaria femenina / Prognostic factors and treatment outcomes for female urinary incontinence rehabilitation

Introducción La incontinencia urinaria es la pérdida involuntaria de orina. Presenta una alta prevalencia en el sexo femenino y un gran impacto biopsicosocial. Son numerosos los factores de riesgo asociados con esta entidad. El tratamiento rehabilitador se establece como de primera línea, aunque su uso no ha sido protocolizado. Objetivo Identificar qué factores de riesgo personales y tipo de tratamiento aplicado se encuentran relacionados estadísticamente con la mejoría de las pacientes. Material y método Estudio de cohortes retrospectivas de las pacientes de sexo femenino diagnosticadas de incontinencia urinaria y que acudieron a la consulta de Rehabilitación de Suelo Pélvico del Hospital Universitario Río Hortega de Valladolid, recibiendo tratamiento rehabilitador a lo largo del año 2021. El periodo de seguimiento mínimo fue de 12 semanas, evaluando la mejoría o no según 7 variables objetivas y subjetivas, estableciendo la mejoría como la evolución positiva en al menos 5 de las 7. Resultados Se analizaron 114 mujeres con incontinencia urinaria. Los tipos de incontinencia más frecuentes fueron: de esfuerzo (53%) y mixta (36%). Los factores de riesgo y enfermedad asociada más importantes fueron la episiotomía (68%), infecciones de orina de repetición (61%) y el estreñimiento (40,9%). Ninguno de estos factores demostró una relación estadísticamente significativa con la mejoría de las pacientes con una p>0,05. El tratamiento rehabilitador más empleado fue cinesiterapia+biofeedback (51%), que demostró una relación estadísticamente significativa con la mejoría de estas pacientes (p=0,037), junto con biofeedback+electroestimulación del nervio tibial posterior (p=0,044). Conclusión Los resultados están en consonancia con los de otros estudios publicados. El biofeedback junto con la cinesiterapia o la electroestimulación del nervio tibial posterior se establecen como los procedimientos rehabilitadores más efectivos (AU)

Background Urinary incontinence is the involuntary loss of urine. It is highly prevalent in women and has a great biopsychosocial impact. Numerous risk factors are associated with this entity. Rehabilitative treatment is established as the first line, although its use has not been protocolized. Aim To identify which personal risk factors and type of treatment applied are statistically related to patient improvement. Methods Retrospective cohort study of female patients diagnosed with urinary incontinence who attended the Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Clinic of the Río Hortega University Hospital of Valladolid, receiving rehabilitation treatment during the year 2021. The minimum follow-up period was 12 weeks, evaluating improvement or not according to 7 objective and subjective variables, establishing improvement as positive evolution in at least 5 of the 7. Results A total of 114 women with urinary incontinence were analyzed. The most frequent types of incontinence were stress (53%) and mixed (36%). The most important risk factors and associated pathology were episiotomy (68%), repeated urinary tract infections (61%), and constipation (40.9%). None of these factors showed a statistically significant relationship with patient improvement with a p>0.05. The most used rehabilitative treatment was kinesitherapy+biofeedback (51%), which showed a statistically significant relationship with the improvement of these patients (p=0.037), together with biofeedback+posterior tibial nerve electrostimulation (p=0.044). Conclusion The results are in line with other published studies. Biofeedback together with kinesitherapy or posterior tibial nerve electrostimulation are established as the most effective rehabilitative procedures (AU)

Recognition of emotional body language from dyadic and monadic point-light displays in 5-year-old children and adults.

Most child studies on emotion perception used faces and speech as emotion stimuli, but little is known about children's perception of emotions conveyed by body movements, that is, emotional body language (EBL). This study aimed to investigate whether processing advantages for positive emotions in children and negative emotions in adults found in studies on emotional face and term perception also occur in EBL perception. We also aimed to uncover which specific movement features of EBL contribute to emotion perception from interactive dyads compared with noninteractive monads in children and adults. We asked 5-year-old children and adults to categorize happy and angry point-light displays (PLDs), presented as pairs (dyads) and single actors (monads), in a button-press task. By applying representational similarity analyses, we determined intra- and interpersonal movement features of the PLDs and their relation to the participants' emotional categorizations. Results showed significantly higher recognition of happy PLDs in 5-year-olds and of angry PLDs in adults in monads but not in dyads. In both age groups, emotion recognition depended significantly on kinematic and postural movement features such as limb contraction and vertical movement in monads and dyads, whereas in dyads recognition also relied on interpersonal proximity measures such as interpersonal distance. Thus, EBL processing in monads seems to undergo a similar developmental shift from a positivity bias to a negativity bias, as was previously found for emotional faces and terms. Despite these age-specific processing biases, children and adults seem to use similar movement features in EBL processing.

Impact of a Community-Based Pelvic Floor Kinesic Rehabilitation Program on the Quality of Life of Chilean Adult Women with Urinary Incontinence.

The pelvic floor forms the primary bottom tissue of the pelvic cavity. It comprises muscles that play a fundamental role in bowel and bladder emptying. Alterations of pelvic floor muscles will result in dysfunctions such as urinary incontinence (UI). Given the high prevalence of UI and its impact on the quality of life (QoL) in patients with pelvic floor muscle dysfunctions, it is necessary to implement public, community, and generalized programs focused on treating these dysfunctions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of a community rehabilitation program on QoL, UI severity, and pelvic floor muscle strength in patients with UI. PATIENTS AND METHOD: A descriptive prospective cohort study. Twenty subjects between 44 and 75 years old with a diagnosis of UI, participants of a community kinesic rehabilitation program on the pelvic floor in Maipú, Santiago, Chile, were evaluated. These volunteers were intervened for six months, and QoL was measured with the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) and International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Short-Form (ICIQ-SF) scales, UI severity with the Sandvick test, and pelvic floor muscle strength with the Oxford scale. Patients were followed up three months post-intervention. RESULTS: Significant improvements were observed in all scales after applying for the community kinesic rehabilitation program, and the changes were maintained at a 3-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Since the improvement in QoL, UI severity, and pelvic floor muscle strength after the intervention, it is relevant to consider the implementation of community programs aimed at education, screening, and early rehabilitation of these patients.

Non Linear Control System for Humanoid Robot to Perform Body Language Movements.

In social robotics, especially with regard to direct interactions between robots and humans, the robotic movements of the body, arms and head must make an adequate displacement to guarantee an adequate interaction, both from a functional and social point of view. To achieve this, the use of closed-loop control techniques that consider the complex nonlinear dynamics and disturbances inherent in these systems is required. In this paper, an implementation of a nonlinear controller for the tracking of trajectories and a profile of speeds that execute the movements of the arms and head of a humanoid robot based on the mathematical model is proposed. First, the design and implementation of the arms and head are initially presented, then the mathematical model via kinematic and dynamic analysis was performed. With the above, the design of nonlinear controllers such as nonlinear proportional derivative control with gravity compensation, Backstepping control, Sliding Mode control and the application of each of them to the robotic system are presented. A comparative analysis based on a frequency analysis, the efficiency in polynomial trajectories and the implementation requirements allowed selecting the non-linear Backstepping control technique to be implemented. Then, for the implementation, a centralized control architecture is considered, which uses a central microcontroller in the external loop and an internal microcontroller (as internal loop) for each of the actuators. With the above, the selected controller was validated through experiments performed in real time on the implemented humanoid robot, demonstrating proper path tracking of established trajectories for performing body language movements.

La expresión no verbal y el lenguaje de pacientes con cáncer / Nonverbal Expressions And Language Of Oncological Patients

El cáncer es una enfermedad que demanda un gran número de recursos exigiendo no solo la eficacia sino también la eficiencia de las intervenciones que se realicen durante todo el proceso oncológico. Su diagnóstico puede ser considerado como un evento vital estresante que afectará tanto al individuo, como a su entorno familiar y social. Partiendo de este planteamiento, se deben considerar los aspectos físicos, psicológicos y sociales del fenómeno oncológico y, por consiguiente, un manejo integral y multidisciplinar. El objetivo general de este estudio se basa en observar las expresiones de los pacientes oncológicos con diagnósticos de tumores sólidos metastásicos (estado III – IV), que están en tratamiento con quimioterapia y/o inmunoterapia en la isla de Tenerife, en el Hospital Universitario de Canarias y el Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, durante las entrevistas para detectar alteraciones no manifestadas verbalmente. Para ello se ha realizado una investigación cualitativa y fenomenológica, de carácter multicéntrico desde noviembre de 2022 a mayo de 2023. La muestra fue constituida por 362 pacientes con previo consentimiento informado de los sujetos de estudios. Se usó la entrevista semiestructurada procesada mediante análisis de contenido. Se tuvieron en cuenta los criterios de rigor científico y los principios de bioética personalista. Con relación a los resultados, se obtuvieron tres categorías donde se analizó lapercepción de la Calidad de Vida; la satisfacción hacia los profesionales sanitarios y las preocupaciones sobre el pronóstico de la enfermedad. Como conclusión, .... (AU)

Cancer is a disease that demands a large number of resources, demanding not only the effectiveness but also the efficiency of the interventions carried out throughout the oncological process. Its diagnosis can be considered a stressful life event that will affect both the individual and their family and social environment. Starting from this approach, the physical, psychological and social aspects of the oncological phenomenon must be considered and, consequently, a comprehensive and multidisciplinary management. The general objective of this study is based on observing the expressions of oncological patients with diagnoses of metastatic solid tumors (stage III – IV), who are being treated with chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy on the island of Tenerife, at the University Hospital of Canarias and the Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, during the interviews to detect alterations not expressed verbally. For this, a qualitative and phenomenological investigation has been carried out, of a multicenter nature from November 2022 to May 2023. The sample was made up of 362 patients with prior informed consent from the study subjects. The semi-structured interview processed through content analysis was used. The criteria of scientific rigor and the principles of personalist bioethics were taken into account. In relation to the results, three categories were obtained where the perception of Quality of Life was analyzed; satisfaction with health professionals and concerns about the prognosis of the disease. In conclusion, the patients who participated in the study perceived the quality of life as a changing state depending on the time of the disease and the treatment, they highlighted the communication skills of the nurses and demanded a multidisciplinary team... (AU)

Decoding spatiotemporal features of emotional body language in social interactions.

How are emotions perceived through human body language in social interactions? This study used point-light displays of human interactions portraying emotional scenes (1) to examine quantitative intrapersonal kinematic and postural body configurations, (2) to calculate interaction-specific parameters of these interactions, and (3) to analyze how far both contribute to the perception of an emotion category (i.e. anger, sadness, happiness or affection) as well as to the perception of emotional valence. By using ANOVA and classification trees, we investigated emotion-specific differences in the calculated parameters. We further applied representational similarity analyses to determine how perceptual ratings relate to intra- and interpersonal features of the observed scene. Results showed that within an interaction, intrapersonal kinematic cues corresponded to emotion category ratings, whereas postural cues reflected valence ratings. Perception of emotion category was also driven by interpersonal orientation, proxemics, the time spent in the personal space of the counterpart, and the motion-energy balance between interacting people. Furthermore, motion-energy balance and orientation relate to valence ratings. Thus, features of emotional body language are connected with the emotional content of an observed scene and people make use of the observed emotionally expressive body language and interpersonal coordination to infer emotional content of interactions.

Cerebellar Contribution to Emotional Body Language Perception.

Body language is a powerful form of non-verbal communication providing important information about the emotions and intentions of others. The ability to infer other's emotions from their bodily movements and postures recruits an extended network in the brain that encompasses both cortical and subcortical regions. In this chapter, we review recent evidence suggesting that the cerebellum is a critical node of this network. Specifically, we present convergent findings from patients', neuroimaging and non-invasive brain stimulation studies that have shown that the cerebellum is involved in both biological motion perception and in discrimination of bodily emotional expressions. We discuss the potential underlying mechanisms that drive the recruitment of the sensorimotor (anterior) and cognitive (posterior) cerebellum in inferring others' emotions through their bodily movements and postures and how the cerebellum may exert these functions within different cortico-cerebellar and limbic-cerebellar networks dedicated to body language perception.

Perceiving Dynamic Emotions Expressed Simultaneously in the Face and Body Minimizes Perceptual Differences Between Young and Older Adults.

OBJECTIVES: It is commonly argued that older adults show difficulties in standardized tasks of emotional expression perception, yet most previous works relied on classic sets of static, decontextualized, and stereotypical facial expressions. In real life, facial expressions are dynamic and embedded in a rich context, 2 key factors that may aid emotion perception. Specifically, body language provides important affective cues that may disambiguate facial movements. METHOD: We compared emotion perception of dynamic faces, bodies, and their combination in a sample of older (age 60-83, n = 126) and young (age 18-30, n = 124) adults. We used the Geneva Multimodal Emotion Portrayals set, which includes a full view of expressers' faces and bodies, displaying a diverse range of positive and negative emotions, portrayed dynamically and holistically in a nonstereotypical, unconstrained manner. Critically, we digitally manipulated the dynamic cue such that perceivers viewed isolated faces (without bodies), isolated bodies (without faces), or faces with bodies. RESULTS: Older adults showed better perception of positive and negative dynamic facial expressions, while young adults showed better perception of positive isolated dynamic bodily expressions. Importantly, emotion perception of faces with bodies was comparable across ages. DISCUSSION: Dynamic emotion perception in young and older adults may be more similar than previously assumed, especially when the task is more realistic and ecological. Our results emphasize the importance of contextualized and ecological tasks in emotion perception across ages.

Efecto de la práctica mental kinestésica en la fuerza y actividad mioeléctrica del bíceps braquial, luego de un periodo de inmovilización de codo en adultos-jóvenes sanos / Effects of kinesthetic mental practice in strength and myoelectric activity of the brachialis biceps due to an elbow immobilization period in healthy young adults

RESUMEN: El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el efecto de la práctica mental kinestésica (PMK) en la fuerza y actividad eléctrica muscular (AEM) del bíceps braquial, luego de un periodo de inmovilización del codo en un grupo de personas adultos jóvenes sanos. Un total de 14 personas (18,64 ± 0,92 años de edad) participaron voluntariamente del estudio, a las cuales se les evaluó la fuerza muscular de prensión y la AEM del bíceps braquial utilizando un dinamómetro de mano y un equipo de electromiografía, respectivamente, antes y después de un periodo de inmovilización del brazo no dominante, y se asignaron aleatoriamente a uno de dos grupos: grupo control (GC) o experimental (GE). El GE realizó PMK: tres series de 15 repeticiones con un minuto de descanso entre series, tres veces al día durante los seis días de inmovilización, mientras que el GC no realizó PKM durante su inmovilización. Al aplicar una prueba de ANOVA de dos vías, no se encontraron diferencias significativas en la fuerza ni en la AEM. Sin embargo, la fuerza del GC disminuyó en 23,75%, mientras que la del GE aumentó en 33,19%. Los resultados sugieren que un periodo de inmovilización del codo de seis días no fue suficiente para que la fuerza ni la AEM disminuyan significativamente, lo que supone que la PMK realizada no es necesaria en periodos menores a seis días.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of kinesthetic mental practice (KMP) on the strength and muscular electrical activity (MEA) of the brachial biceps, after a period of immobilization of the elbow in a group of healthy young adults. A total of 14 volunteer participants (18.64 ± 0.92 years of age) were part in the study. The muscle strength and the AEM of the brachial biceps were assessed using a hand dynamometer and an electromyography equipment, respectively, before and after a period of immobilization of the non-dominant arm. After the pretest, they were randomly assigned to one of two groups: control group (GC) or experimental group (GE). The GE performed 3 sets of 15 repetitions with one-minute rest between sets, three times a day of PMK during the 6 days of immobilization, while the GC did not perform PKM during its immobilization. A 2-way ANOVA test (group x measurement) indicated non-significant differences in strength or AEM. However, the strength of the GC decreased by 23.75%, while increased by 33.19% in the GE. The results suggest that a period of immobilization of the elbow of 6 days was not enough for the strength or the AEM to decrease significantly, which means that the PMK is not necessary in periods of immobilization of less than 6 days.

Evaluation of head posture using an inertial measurement unit.

An inertial measurement unit (IMU) is an electronic device that measures and track the orientation of a body. We conducted this study in accordance with the STARD guidelines to evaluate the accuracy of IMU (index test) for measuring head posture compared to the current gold standard using a cervical range of motion (CROM) device. The reproducibility of the hunter and mirror-guided head posture was also evaluated. In vitro and in vivo tests were carried out to assess the validity of the IMU. To assess reproducibility, thirty healthy young adults were asked to look at four different locations in two different sessions while the head posture was recorded. Excellent correlation (r = 0.99; p < 0.001) was found between the IMU and CROM device with an absolute mean difference of 0.45° ± 0.58° (p = 0.85) for the in vitro test and 0.88° ± 1.20° (p = 0.99) for the in vivo test. For the reproducibility test, moderate to good correlation coefficients were found (r = 0.55 to 0.89; all p < 0.05) between the two sessions. The intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from moderate to excellent reliability (ICC from 0.74 to 0.96). These results suggest that the IMU sensors, when calibrated correctly, can be adequate to analyze head posture.

Blunted emotion judgments of body movements in Parkinson's disease.

Some of the behavioral disorders observed in Parkinson's disease (PD) may be related to an altered processing of social messages, including emotional expressions. Emotions conveyed by whole body movements may be difficult to generate and be detected by PD patients. The aim of the present study was to compare valence judgments of emotional whole body expressions in individuals with PD and in healthy controls matched for age, gender and education. Twenty-eight participants (13 PD patients and 15 healthy matched control participants) were asked to rate the emotional valence of short movies depicting emotional interactions between two human characters presented with the "Point Light Displays" technique. To ensure understanding of the perceived scene, participants were asked to briefly describe each of the evaluated movies. Patients' emotional valence evaluations were less intense than those of controls for both positive (p < 0.001) and negative (p < 0.001) emotional expressions, even though patients were able to correctly describe the depicted scene. Our results extend the previously observed impaired processing of emotional facial expressions to impaired processing of emotions expressed by body language. This study may support the hypothesis that PD affects the embodied simulation of emotional expression and the potentially involved mirror neuron system.

The processing characteristics of bodily expressions under the odor context: An ERP study.

The recognition of facial expressions has been shown to be influenced by contextual odors. The aims of this study were (1) to investigate whether odor has a similar effect on the recognition of bodily expressions, and (2) to analyze the time-course of such effects. Sixty-nine adults were randomized into three groups to identify bodily expressions (happy, fearful, and neutral) in three odor environments (pleasant odor, unpleasant odor, and no odor). Event-related potentials (ERPs) induced by the viewing bodily expressions were analyzed. Behaviorally, the unpleasant odor context promoted the recognition of bodily expressions. The ERP results showed odor influences on bodily expression recognition in two phases. In a middle stage phase (150-200 ms post-stimulus onset), VPP amplitudes induced by bodily expressions were greater in an unpleasant odor context than in a pleasant odor context. In a mid-late stage phase (beyond 200 ms), an interaction between contextual odor and bodily expression type was observed. When exposed to an unpleasant contextual odor, N2 and LPP amplitudes related to fearful bodily expressions were smaller than when exposed to other odor contexts, showing the promoting effect of mood coherence effect. Behavioral and ERP evidence confirmed that contextual odor can modulate the visual processing of bodily expressions, with an overall promoting effect of an unpleasant odor on bodily expression processing (phase one) and a specific modulating influence of odors on affectively congruent/incongruent bodily expressions (phase two).

Cultural values shape the expression of self-evaluative social emotions.

Social emotions are key to everyday social life and therefore shaped by cultural values in their expression. Prior research has focused on facial expressions of emotions. What is less clear, however, is the extent to which cultural values shape other modalities of emotional expression. In the present study, we applied a novel paradigm using depth sensor imaging technology to capture changes in participants' body posture in real time. We aimed to (1) identify the nuances in the postural expression that are thought to characterize social emotions and (2) assess how individual differences in cultural values impact the postural expression of emotions. Participants in two separate studies were 132 undergraduate college students whose upper-body postural expansion was recorded after they recalled emotion episodes. Positive emotions elevated participants' upper-body posture whereas negative emotions resulted in lowered upper-body posture. The effects on changes in upper-body posture were moderated by participants' self-ratings of the vertical and horizontal dimensions of individualism and collectivism. The findings provide initial evidence of the nuances in the way cultural values influence the postural expression of emotions.

Coding Body Language in Sports: The Nonverbal Behavior Coding System for Soccer Penalties.

Nonverbal behavior (NVB) plays an important role in sports. However, it has been difficult to measure, as no coding schemes exist to objectively measure NVB in sports. Therefore, the authors adapted the Body Action and Posture Coding System to the context of soccer penalties, validated it, and initially used this system (Nonverbal Behavior Coding System for Soccer Penalties [NBCSP]) to explore NVB in penalties. Study 1 demonstrated that the NBCSP had good to excellent intercoder reliability regarding the occurrence and temporal precision of NVBs. It also showed that the coding system could differentiate certain postures and behaviors as a function of emotional valence (i.e., positive vs. negative emotional states). Study 2 identified differences in NVB for successful and missed shots in a sample of penalties (time spent looking toward the goal, toward the ground, right arm movement, and how upright the body posture was). The authors discuss the utility of the coding system for different sport contexts.