STEAMed Magazine January 2016 | Page 28

THE FINDINGS
optical motion-capture system which focused on five principal components of movement : local movement , global movement , hand flux , head speed and hand distance .
Local movement is a particular joint or segment of the body , like tapping just your foot on the ground . Global movement focuses on overall general body movement like your trunk and extremities . Hand flux describes movement of the hands while hand distance tracks how far or near the hands move from the trunk . Head speed tracks nodding , tilting and other movements of the head .
When these 60 extreme scorers - 43 female , 17 male - were set up with 28 reflective markers to track their 3-dimension movements , they were introduced to music and encouraged to move naturally and dance . The kinematic variables that were observed and noted were instantaneous velocity ( motion at a specific point in time ), acceleration and the jerk of various body parts . For example , head banging to rock n ’ roll music or gesturing an electric guitar .

THE FINDINGS

Scorers high in openness ( original , creative , curious and complex thinkers ) exhibited a lot of local movement ( movement in a specific location ).
High scorers for conscientiousness ( well organized , self-disciplined , thoughtfulness , good impulse control ) exhibited global movement ( extremities ), head speed and hand distance .
High scorers for extraversion ( outgoing , social , energetic , excitability ) exhibited all five movement components .
High scorers for neuroticism ( anxiety , irritability , moodiness ) exhibited local movement only . Those who scored high for neuroticism exhibited jerky motion and accelerated motion . Also interesting to note , neuroticism was the only trait that had a negative effect on movement .
More and more we are finding that movement reveals different aspects of personalities . Suzi Tortora researched movement and how it assesses behavior . In her book The Dancing Dialogue : Using the
STEAMed Magazine
28
January 2016 Edition