Updating the gesture profile of the ‘Recognition of emotional and expressive movements (postures and gestures)’ tool

Abstract

The article presents the results of updating the method ‘Recognition of emotional and expressive movements (poses and gestures)’ tool to provide a quantitative assessment. Originally developed at the Institute of Psychiatry of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences (now the Scientific Center for Mental Health) in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the tool has been used in research, counselling, and pathopsychological diagnostics. To interpret the meaning of gestures or poses, an individual has to have a certain level of cognitive development, social perception, and positive experiences of communication. The paper introduces the concept of ‘gesture profile’, a metric for quantifying the results across several parameters, including recognition, emotional response, aggression, etc. Currently, seven such parameters have been identified. Each parameter is assessed using a binary scale (yes/no or 1/0), facilitating a quantitative representation of the gesture profile. The study presents quantitative data collected from 58 apparently healthy children and adolescents, aged 6 to 16 years, both boys and girls. The participants were grouped into three age categories: preschoolers, primary schoolchildren, and adolescents. A preliminary Pedagogical University of Russia. correlation analysis explored how age and gender influenced the manifestation of the selected parameters. Findings highlight the significance of these demographic variables in interpreting the results of the method. The most salient parameters identified were recognition, aggression, motor skills, and emotional response. The results suggest that a more nuanced approach to the presentation of stimuli is necessary, moving beyond the 20 symbolic and expressive gestures outlined in Nazarenko’s manual. Future research should consider expanding the range of gestures analyzed and provide linguistic analysis of responses. The study also emphasizes the continued utility of the method in pathopsychological diagnostics for children and adolescents with mental disorders, particularly when utilizing the updated data processing techniques introduced here.