title: The acquisition of socio-motor improvisation in the mirror game.
abstract: Socio-motor improvisation is defined as the creative action of two or more people without a script or anticipated preparation. It is evaluated through two main parameters: movement synchronization and movement richness. Experts in art (e.g., dance, theater or music) are known to exhibit higher synchronization and to perform richer movements during interpersonal improvisation, but how these competences evolve over time is largely unknown. In the present study, we investigated whether performing more synchronized and richer movements over time can promote the acquisition of improvisation. Pairs of novice participants were instructed to play an improvisation mirror game in three different sessions. Between sessions, they performed an unintended interpersonal coordination task in which synchronization and richness were manipulated, resulting in four different groups of dyads. Our results demonstrate that synchronization during improvisation improved for all groups whereas movement richness only enhanced for dyads that performed synchronized movements during unintended coordination tasks. Our findings suggest that movement synchrony contributes more than movement richness to the acquisition of socio-motor improvisation in the mirror game.
authors.affiliation: EuroMov, University of Montpellier, France. Electronic address: mathieu.gueugnon@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gueugnon
authors.affiliation: EuroMov, University of Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Robin N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Salesse
authors.affiliation: EuroMov, University of Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coste
authors.affiliation: EuroMov, University of Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: EuroMov, University of Montpellier, France; Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Benoît G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Bardy
authors.affiliation: EuroMov, University of Montpellier, France.
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003405:Creativity; D003615:Dancing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D009949:Orientation; D011214:Practice, Psychological; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Interpersonal coordination; Joint action; Motor improvisation; Movement richness; Social interaction; Synchronization