Elementary motor mimicry (e.g., wincing when another is injured) has been a classic problem in social psychology, with previous theories treating it as the overt manifestation of some intrapersonal process such as vicarious emotion. In a two-part experiment, we tested the hypothesis that motor mimicry is instead an interpersonal event, a nonverbal communication intended to be seen by the other. The first part examined the effect of a receiver on the observer's motor mimicry: The victim of an apparently painful injury was either increasingly or decreasingly available for eye contact with the observing subject. Microanalysis showed that the pattern and timing of the observer's motor mimicry were significantly affected by the visual availability of the victim. In the second part, naive decoders viewed and rated the reactions of these observers. Their ratings confirmed that motor mimicry was consistently decoded as "knowing" and "caring" and that these interpretations were significantly related to the experimental condition under which the reactions were elicited. These results cannot be explained by any alternative, intrapersonal theory, so a parallel process model is proposed: The eliciting stimulus may set off both internal reactions and communicative responses, but these function independently, and it is the communicative situation that determines the visible behavior.The order of the authors' names was determined alphabetically. This research was supported by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and from the University of Victoria.The authors wish to thank Brad Dishan for being an experimenter and assisting with pilot work; Lisa Bryson for scoring and discussions; and Dave Prette and Alanna Moore for scoring. The manuscript benefited greatly from the comments of David Rosenhan and the JPSP reviewers.
In this open-label retrospective study, memantine was effective in a number of patients with PDDs. Controlled studies are warranted to further assess the efficacy and safety of memantine in PDDs.
Motor mimicry is behavior by an observer that is appropriate to the situation of the other person, for example, wincing at the other's injury or ducking when the other does. Traditional theories of motor mimicry view this behauior as an indicator ofa vicarious cognitive or empathic experience, that is, of taking the role ofthe other or of"fee1ingoneselfinto"the other person. However, Bavelas, Black, Lemery, andMullett (1986) have shown that motor mimicry ofpain is affected by communicative variables and acts as a nonverbal message indicating that the observer is aware of and concerned about the other's situation. This raises a more general question: Is communication its primary or secondary junction? We propose (i) that motor mimicry functions as a nonverbal, analogk, relationship message about similarity between observer and other and (ii) that this message is encoded according to Gestalt principles of form, in that the observer physically mirrors the other. In other words, the observer maintains a relationship with the other. The special case of left/right leaning when observer and other are facing each other permits a test of our theory against two theories that treat motor Janet Beavin Bavelas (Ph.D., Stanford University, 1970) is professor of psychology at the (Mathematics) helped us settle on the terms for reflection and rotation symmetry; Oak Bay Recreational Centre permitted us to use their premises; and two HCR reviewers provided useful comments on the manuscript. Order of authors is alphabetical. o 1988 International Communication Association 275 276 HUMAN COMMUNICATION RESEARCH / Spring 1988
mimicry as an indicator of vicarious experience. The results of three experiments showed that when motor mimicy by an observerfacing someone who is leaning left or right occurs, it is both displayed and decoded in theform consistent with a communication theory; this form is called reflection symmetry. We conclude that, because of the topography of the response, the primayfunction of motor mimicry must be communicative and that any relationship to vicarious processes is secondary.A similar analysis of other nonverbal behaviors may well reveal that they are also expressions another person rather than expressions of intrapsychic states.
OBJECTIVES: To provide opportunities for intergenerational knowledge sharing for healthy lifestyles; to facilitate youth and Elder mentorship; and to increase the self-esteem of youth by celebrating identity, cultural practices and community connection through the creation and sharing of digital stories.PARTICIPANTS: A youth research team (8 youth) aged 13-25, youth participants (60 core participants and 170 workshop participants) and Elders (14) from First Nations communities.
SETTING:The project was conducted with participants from several communities on Vancouver Island through on-site workshops and presentations.INTERVENTION: Youth and Elders were invited to a 3-day digital story workshop consisting of knowledge-sharing sessions by Elders and digital story training by the youth research team. Workshop attendees returned to their communities to develop stories. The group re-convened at the university to create digital stories focused on community connections, family histories and healthy lifestyles. During the following year the research team delivered instructional sessions in communities on the digital story process.
OUTCOMES:The youth involved reported increased pride in community as well as new or enhanced relationships with Elders.
CONCLUSIONS:The digital stories method facilitated intergenerational interactions and engaged community members in creating a digital representation of healthy lifestyles. The process itself is an intervention, as it affords critical reflection on historical, cultural and spiritual ideas of health and what it means to be healthy in an Aboriginal community. It is a particularly relevant health promotion tool in First Nations communities with strong oral history traditions.KEY WORDS: Health promotion; community based participatory research; indigenous population group; adolescent; digital story La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.
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