title: Strong anticipation: complexity matching in interpersonal coordination.
abstract: A subtle coordination occurs within complex systems, between multiple nested sub-systems. This intra-system coordination can be detected by the presence of 1/f fluctuations produced by the system. But coordination can occur also between systems. Interpersonal coordination has been studied from a local point of view until now, focusing on macroscopic interactions. But the recent concept of strong anticipation introduced by Dubois (Lect Notes Comput Sci 2684:110-132, 2003) suggests that interactions could occur on multiple levels between complex systems. The hypothesis is that time series in interpersonal synchronization present a matching of the complexity index (fractal exponent). Moreover, it is argued that this matching is not a consequence of short-term adaptations but reveals a global coordination between participants. Eleven pairs of participants oscillated a hand-held pendulum in the in-phase pattern for 11 min, in three conditions where the coupling strength was manipulated by the perceptual feedbacks. The results show a high correlation between fractal exponents irrespective of the coupling strength, and a very low percentage of local cross-correlations between time series appear at lag 0 and lag 1. These results suggest that interpersonal coordination, and more globally synchronization of participants with natural environments, is based on non-local time scales.
authors.affiliation: Movement to Health (M2H), Montpellier-1 University, EuroMov, 700 Avenue du Pic Saint Loup, 34090, Montpellier, France. vivien.marmelat@laposte.net
authors.forename: Vivien
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marmelat
authors.forename: Didier
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Delignières
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D010507:Periodicity; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult