Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition

Last updated

Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition (NIMI) is an aspect of body language when a person stops fidgeting because they are interested in what they are watching. For example, when a young child is rapt watching a cartoon, they often sit motionless with their mouth open; this motionlessness is NIMI. As such, it is psychological phenomenon and a form of embodied behavior, where gestures and body movements reflect the thoughts and emotions in a person's mind. This phenomenon is different from almost all other body language because it interprets what does not happen (i.e. an absence of movement) rather than making an interpretation based on a specific gesture. During NIMI, visual engagement or attention leads subconsciously to lower levels of fidgeting (and other non-instrumental movements). [1]

Contents

The movements and actions that are inhibited during NIMI are non-strictly limited to fidgeting only. Non-Instrumental movements are bodily actions that are not related to the goal of the current task; for example, when in a classroom and the goal is to listen to a lecture, attentive listeners will not talk to their neighbors or make a call on their phone. Non-instrumental (unnecessary) movements include fidgeting, scratching, postural micromovements (e.g. sitting forward in a chair), certain emotional expressions (e.g. shrugging), and even breathing. To use breathing as an example, when a person watches a tense movie, they might momentarily stop regular breathing, and this pause is also an example of NIMI. NIMI is important for recognizing boredom [2] [3] during human-robot interaction, human-computer interaction, computer-aided learning with automated tutoring systems, market research, and experience design. [4]

Historical Evidence

The original observation that, in a seated audience, interest is associated with diminished fidgeting, and that boredom doubles the amount of human movement, was made by Francis Galton in 1885. [5] Modern experiments suggesting that movement inhibition (and NIMI) were quantifiable and related to flow or interest were suggested by a series of papers regarding automated tutoring systems by Sidney D’Mello and colleagues. [6] Using a non-visual task, Paul Seli and collaborators showed that increased episodes of mind wandering led to an increase in fidgeting, presumably because attention requires comparative stillness (maintaining that stillness is described as “a secondary task”). [7] Nadia Bianchi-Berthouze and colleagues demonstrated that engagement in games (and human computer interaction) could lead to either increased movement or decreased movement, depending on the motivational nature of movement tasks involved with the accomplishment of the task. [8] Harry Witchel and colleagues named the inhibitory phenomenon as NIMI, [1] and demonstrated that the visual aspect of the human-computer interaction task was the most powerful contributor to the inhibitory effect on movement. [9] They also demonstrated that, during individual human computer interaction in instrumentally identical reading comprehension tasks, interest itself was sufficient to diminish movement. [9] This was reflected in experiments by Patrick Healy and colleagues in a seated audience at a dance performance. [10]

Controversy

While it is known that frustration [11] and restlessness can lead to increased movement during human computer interaction, it remains controversial as to whether NIMI that occurs during engagement is actually an inhibition of a baseline amount of physiologically required movement.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fitts's law</span> Predictive model of human movement

Fitts's law is a predictive model of human movement primarily used in human–computer interaction and ergonomics. The law predicts that the time required to rapidly move to a target area is a function of the ratio between the distance to the target and the width of the target. Fitts's law is used to model the act of pointing, either by physically touching an object with a hand or finger, or virtually, by pointing to an object on a computer monitor using a pointing device. It was initially developed by Paul Fitts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ankle</span> Region where the foot and the leg meet

The ankle, or the talocrural region, or the jumping bone (informal) is the area where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle includes three joints: the ankle joint proper or talocrural joint, the subtalar joint, and the inferior tibiofibular joint. The movements produced at this joint are dorsiflexion and plantarflexion of the foot. In common usage, the term ankle refers exclusively to the ankle region. In medical terminology, "ankle" can refer broadly to the region or specifically to the talocrural joint.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nonverbal communication</span> Interpersonal communication through wordless (mostly visual) cues

Nonverbal communication (NVC) is the transmission of messages or signals through a nonverbal platform such as eye contact, facial expressions, gestures, posture, use of objects and body language. It includes the use of social cues, kinesics, distance (proxemics) and physical environments/appearance, of voice (paralanguage) and of touch (haptics). A signal has three different parts to it, including the basic signal, what the signal is trying to convey, and how it is interpreted. These signals that are transmitted to the receiver depend highly on the knowledge and empathy that this individual has. It can also include the use of time (chronemics) and eye contact and the actions of looking while talking and listening, frequency of glances, patterns of fixation, pupil dilation, and blink rate (oculesics).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Athetosis</span> Medical condition

Athetosis is a symptom characterized by slow, involuntary, convoluted, writhing movements of the fingers, hands, toes, and feet and in some cases, arms, legs, neck and tongue. Movements typical of athetosis are sometimes called athetoid movements. Lesions to the brain are most often the direct cause of the symptoms, particularly to the corpus striatum. This symptom does not occur alone and is often accompanied by the symptoms of cerebral palsy, as it is often a result of this physical disability. Treatments for athetosis are not very effective, and in most cases are simply aimed at managing the uncontrollable movement, rather than the cause itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gesture recognition</span> Topic in computer science and language technology

Gesture recognition is a topic in computer science and language technology with the goal of interpreting human gestures via mathematical algorithms. It is a subdiscipline of computer vision. Gestures can originate from any bodily motion or state, but commonly originate from the face or hand. Focuses in the field include emotion recognition from face and hand gesture recognition since they are all expressions. Users can make simple gestures to control or interact with devices without physically touching them. Many approaches have been made using cameras and computer vision algorithms to interpret sign language, however, the identification and recognition of posture, gait, proxemics, and human behaviors is also the subject of gesture recognition techniques. Gesture recognition can be seen as a way for computers to begin to understand human body language, thus building a better bridge between machines and humans than older text user interfaces or even GUIs, which still limit the majority of input to keyboard and mouse and interact naturally without any mechanical devices.

Psychomotor agitation is a symptom in various disorders and health conditions. It is characterized by unintentional and purposeless motions and restlessness, often but not always accompanied by emotional distress. Typical manifestations include pacing around, wringing of the hands, uncontrolled tongue movement, pulling off clothing and putting it back on, and other similar actions. In more severe cases, the motions may become harmful to the individual, and may involve things such as ripping, tearing, or chewing at the skin around one's fingernails, lips, or other body parts to the point of bleeding. Psychomotor agitation is typically found in various mental disorders, especially in psychotic and mood disorders. It can be a result of drug intoxication or withdrawal. It can also be caused by severe hyponatremia. The middle-aged and the elderly are more at risk to express it.

Periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) is a sleep disorder where the patient moves limbs involuntarily and periodically during sleep, and has symptoms or problems related to the movement. PLMD should not be confused with restless legs syndrome (RLS). RLS is characterized by a voluntary response to an urge to move legs due to discomfort. PLMD on the other hand is involuntary, and the patient is often unaware of these movements altogether. Periodic limb movements (PLMS) occurring during daytime period can be found but are considered as a symptom of RLS. Only PLMS during sleep can suggest a diagnosis of PLMD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actroid</span> Type of android

Actroid is a type of android with strong visual human-likeness developed by Osaka University and manufactured by Kokoro Company Ltd.. It was first unveiled at the 2003 International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan. Several different versions of the product have been produced since then. In most cases, the robot's appearance has been modeled after an average young woman of Japanese descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mu wave</span> Electrical activity in the part of the brain controlling voluntary movement

The sensorimotor mu rhythm, also known as mu wave, comb or wicket rhythms or arciform rhythms, are synchronized patterns of electrical activity involving large numbers of neurons, probably of the pyramidal type, in the part of the brain that controls voluntary movement. These patterns as measured by electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), or electrocorticography (ECoG), repeat at a frequency of 7.5–12.5 Hz, and are most prominent when the body is physically at rest. Unlike the alpha wave, which occurs at a similar frequency over the resting visual cortex at the back of the scalp, the mu rhythm is found over the motor cortex, in a band approximately from ear to ear. People suppress mu rhythms when they perform motor actions or, with practice, when they visualize performing motor actions. This suppression is called desynchronization of the wave because EEG wave forms are caused by large numbers of neurons firing in synchrony. The mu rhythm is even suppressed when one observes another person performing a motor action or an abstract motion with biological characteristics. Researchers such as V. S. Ramachandran and colleagues have suggested that this is a sign that the mirror neuron system is involved in mu rhythm suppression, although others disagree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supplementary motor area</span> Midline region in front of the motor cortex of the brain

The supplementary motor area (SMA) is a part of the motor cortex of primates that contributes to the control of movement. It is located on the midline surface of the hemisphere just in front of the primary motor cortex leg representation. In monkeys the SMA contains a rough map of the body. In humans the body map is not apparent. Neurons in the SMA project directly to the spinal cord and may play a role in the direct control of movement. Possible functions attributed to the SMA include the postural stabilization of the body, the coordination of both sides of the body such as during bimanual action, the control of movements that are internally generated rather than triggered by sensory events, and the control of sequences of movements. All of these proposed functions remain hypotheses. The precise role or roles of the SMA is not yet known.

Mind-wandering is a broad term with no currently universal definition. According to McMillan, Kaufmann and Singer (2013) mind-wandering consists of 3 different subtypes: positive constructive daydreaming, guilty fear of failure, and poor attentional control. Whereas Smallwood and Schooler (2015) suggest that mind-wandering consists of thoughts that are task-unrelated and stimulus-independent. In general, a folk explanation of mind-wandering could be described as the experience of thoughts not remaining on a single topic for a long period of time, particularly when people are engaged in an attention-demanding task.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hiroshi Ishiguro</span> Japanese roboticist

Hiroshi Ishiguro is director of the Intelligent Robotics Laboratory, part of the Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University, Japan. A notable development of the laboratory is the Actroid, a humanoid robot with lifelike appearance and visible behaviour such as facial movements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fidgeting</span> Type of involuntary movement

Fidgeting is the act of moving about restlessly in a way that is not essential to ongoing tasks or events. Fidgeting may involve playing with one's fingers, hair, or personal objects. In this sense, it may be considered twiddling or fiddling. Fidgeting is commonly used as a label for unexplained or subconscious activities and postural movements that people perform while seated or standing idle.

Social presence theory explores how the "sense of being with another" is influenced by digital interfaces in human-computer interactions. Developed from the foundations of interpersonal communication and symbolic interactionism, social presence theory was first formally introduced by John Short, Ederyn Williams, and Bruce Christie in The Social Psychology of Telecommunications. Research on social presence theory has recently developed to examine the efficacy of telecommunications media, including SNS communications. The theory notes that computer-based communication is lower in social presence than face-to-face communication, but different computer-based communications can affect the levels of social presence between communicators and receivers.

In computing, 3D interaction is a form of human-machine interaction where users are able to move and perform interaction in 3D space. Both human and machine process information where the physical position of elements in the 3D space is relevant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orthotics</span> Medical specialty that focuses on the design and application of orthoses

Orthotics is a medical specialty that focuses on the design and application of orthoses, or braces. An orthosis is "an externally applied device used to influence the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems."

Non-verbal leakage is a form of non-verbal behavior that occurs when a person verbalizes one thing, but their body language indicates another, common forms of which include facial movements and hand-to-face gestures. The term "non-verbal leakage" got its origin in literature in 1968, leading to many subsequent studies on the topic throughout the 1970s, with related studies continuing today.

The normal way that a computer functions manually is through a person that controls the computer. An individual generates computer actions with the use of either a computer mouse or keyboard. However the latest technology and computer innovation might allow a computer to not only detect body language but also respond to it. Modern devices are being experimented with, that may potentially allow that computer related device to respond to and understand an individual's hand gesture, specific movement or facial expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psychology of dance</span> Psychological perspectives about dance

The psychology of dance is the set of mental states associated with dancing and watching others dance. The term names the interdisciplinary academic field that studies those who do. Areas of research include interventions to increase health for older adults, programs for stimulating children’s creativity, dance movement therapy, mate selection and emotional responses.

Motivation impairment effect (MIE) is a hypothesised behavioral effect relating to the communication of deception. The MIE posits that people who are highly motivated to deceive are less successful in their goal when their speech and mannerisms are observed by the intended audience. This is because their nonverbal cues, such as adaptor gestures, sweating, kinesic behaviors, verbal disfluencies, etc, tend to be more pronounced due to increased stress, cognitive load, and heightened emotional state. There is some disagreement regarding the MIE hypothesis, with a few nonverbal communication scholars arguing that deception should not be examined as separate for senders and receivers, but rather as an integral part of the overall process.

References

  1. 1 2 Witchel, Harry; Westling, Carina; Tee, Julian; Healy, Aoife; Needham, Rob; Chockalingam, Nachiappan (2014). "What does not happen: Quantifying embodied engagement using NIMI and self-adaptors" (PDF). Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies. 11 (1): 304–331.
  2. ↑ Gurney-Read, Josie (2016-02-23). "Computers can detect boredom by how much you fidget". The Telegraph newspaper (London, UK). ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  3. ↑ Gregoire, Carolyn (2016-03-09). "Computers Can Now Read Our Body Language". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-11-28.
  4. ↑ Nuwer, Rachel (2016). "Now computers can tell when you are bored: That ability could lead to more engaging coursework and machines that better understand human emotions". Scientific American. 314 (5): 15. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0516-15. PMID   27100240.
  5. ↑ Galton, Francis (1885-06-25). "The Measure of Fidget". Nature. 32 (817): 174–175. Bibcode:1885Natur..32..174G. doi: 10.1038/032174b0 . S2CID   30660123.
  6. ↑ D'Mello, Sidney; Chipman, Patrick; Grasesser, Art (2007). "Posture as a predictor of learner's affective engagement" (PDF). Proceedings of the 29th Annual Cognitive Science Society: 905–910.
  7. ↑ Seli, Paul; Carriere, Jonathan S. A.; Thomson, David R.; Cheyne, James Allan; Martens, Kaylena A. Ehgoetz; Smilek, Daniel (2014). "Restless mind, restless body". Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition. 40 (3): 660–668. doi:10.1037/a0035260. PMID   24364721.
  8. ↑ Bianchi-Berthouze, Nadia (2013-01-01). "Understanding the Role of Body Movement in Player Engagement". Human–Computer Interaction. 28 (1): 40–75. doi:10.1080/07370024.2012.688468. ISSN   0737-0024. S2CID   9630093.
  9. 1 2 Witchel, Harry J.; Santos, Carlos P.; Ackah, James K.; Westling, Carina E. I.; Chockalingam, Nachiappan (2016). "Non-Instrumental Movement Inhibition (NIMI) Differentially Suppresses Head and Thigh Movements during Screenic Engagement: Dependence on Interaction". Frontiers in Psychology. 7: 157. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00157 . ISSN   1664-1078. PMC   4762992 . PMID   26941666.
  10. ↑ Theodorou, Lida; Healey, Patrick (2017). "What can Hand Movements Tell us about Audience Engagement?" (PDF). Proceedings of Cognitive Sciences Society Annual Meeting, London 2017.
  11. ↑ Kapoor, Ashish; Burleson, Winslow; Picard, Rosalind W. (August 2007). "Automatic Prediction of Frustration". Int. J. Hum.-Comput. Stud. 65 (8): 724–736. CiteSeerX   10.1.1.150.1347 . doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2007.02.003. ISSN   1071-5819.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.