title: Does the intention to communicate affect action kinematics?
abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of communicative intention on action. In Experiment 1 participants were requested to reach towards an object, grasp it, and either simply lift it (individual condition) or lift it with the intent to communicate a meaning to a partner (communicative condition). Movement kinematics were recorded using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. The results indicate that kinematics was sensitive to communicative intention. Although the to-be-grasped object remained the same, movements performed for the 'communicative' condition were characterized by a kinematic pattern which differed from those obtained for the 'individual' condition. These findings were confirmed in a subsequent experiment in which the communicative condition was compared to a control condition, in which the communicative exchange was prevented. Results are discussed in terms of cognitive pragmatics and current knowledge on how social behavior shapes action kinematics.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Psicologia Generale, Università di Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Luisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sartori
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Becchio
authors.forename: Bruno G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Bara
authors.forename: Umberto
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Castiello
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D017770:Lifting; D008297:Male; D009633:Nonverbal Communication; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D055815:Young Adult