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6 pages, 205 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications

by Franco Orsucci and Wolfgang Tschacher

Entropy 2022, 24(11), 1670; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24111670 - 17 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2266

Abstract

Complexity and entropy prevail in human behavior and social interaction because the systems underlying behavior and interaction are, without a doubt, highly complex [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

Research

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14 pages, 5568 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Four Methods to Distinguish between Fractal Dimensions in Time Series through Recurrence Quantification Analysis

by Alon Tomashin, Giuseppe Leonardi and Sebastian Wallot

Entropy 2022, 24(9), 1314; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24091314 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3325

Abstract

Fractal properties in time series of human behavior and physiology are quite ubiquitous, and several methods to capture such properties have been proposed in the past decades. Fractal properties are marked by similarities in statistical characteristics over time and space, and it has [...] Read more.

Fractal properties in time series of human behavior and physiology are quite ubiquitous, and several methods to capture such properties have been proposed in the past decades. Fractal properties are marked by similarities in statistical characteristics over time and space, and it has been suggested that such properties can be well-captured through recurrence quantification analysis. However, no methods to capture fractal fluctuations by means of recurrence-based methods have been developed yet. The present paper takes this suggestion as a point of departure to propose and test several approaches to quantifying fractal fluctuations in synthetic and empirical time-series data using recurrence-based analysis. We show that such measures can be extracted based on recurrence plots, and contrast the different approaches in terms of their accuracy and range of applicability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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22 pages, 1067 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Cross-Correlation- and Entropy-Based Measures of Movement Synchrony: Non-Convergence of Measures Leads to Different Associations with Depressive Symptoms

by Uwe Altmann, Bernhard Strauss and Wolfgang Tschacher

Entropy 2022, 24(9), 1307; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24091307 - 15 Sep 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3510

Abstract

Background: Several algorithms have been proposed to quantify synchronization. However, little is known about their convergent and predictive validity. Methods: The sample included 30 persons who completed a manualized interview focusing on psychosomatic symptoms. The intensity of body motions was measured using motion-energy [...] Read more.

Background: Several algorithms have been proposed to quantify synchronization. However, little is known about their convergent and predictive validity. Methods: The sample included 30 persons who completed a manualized interview focusing on psychosomatic symptoms. The intensity of body motions was measured using motion-energy analysis. We computed several measures of movement synchrony based on the time series of the interviewer and participant: mutual information, windowed cross-recurrence analysis, cross-correlation, rMEA, SUSY, SUCO, WCLC–PP and WCLR–PP. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ9). Results: According to the explorative factor analyses, all the variants of cross-correlation and all the measures of SUSY, SUCO and rMEA–WCC led to similar synchrony measures and could be assigned to the same factor. All the mutual-information measures, rMEA–WCLC, WCLC–PP–F, WCLC–PP–R2, WCLR–PP–F, and WinCRQA–DET loaded on the second factor. Depressive symptoms correlated negatively with WCLC–PP–F and WCLR–PP–F and positively with rMEA–WCC, SUCO–ES–CO, and MI–Z. Conclusion: More standardization efforts are needed because different synchrony measures have little convergent validity, which can lead to contradictory conclusions concerning associations between depressive symptoms and movement synchrony using the same dataset. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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14 pages, 1845 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Catastrophe Theory Applied to Neuropsychological Data: Nonlinear Effects of Depression on Financial Capacity in Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

by Dimitrios Stamovlasis, Vaitsa Giannouli, Julie Vaiopoulou and Magda Tsolaki

Entropy 2022, 24(8), 1089; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24081089 - 7 Aug 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2828

Abstract

Financial incapacity is one of the cognitive deficits observed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and dementia, while the combined interference of depression remains unexplored. The objective of this research is to investigate and propose a nonlinear model that explains empirical data better than [...] Read more.

Financial incapacity is one of the cognitive deficits observed in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and dementia, while the combined interference of depression remains unexplored. The objective of this research is to investigate and propose a nonlinear model that explains empirical data better than ordinary linear ones and elucidates the role of depression. Four hundred eighteen (418) participants with a diagnosis of amnestic MCI with varying levels of depression were examined with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), the Functional Rating Scale for Symptoms of Dementia (FRSSD), and the Legal Capacity for Property Law Transactions Assessment Scale (LCPLTAS). Cusp catastrophe analysis was applied to the data, which suggested that the nonlinear model was superior to the linear and logistic alternatives, demonstrating depression contributes to a bifurcation effect. Depressive symptomatology induces nonlinear effects, that is, beyond a threshold value sudden decline in financial capacity is observed. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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17 pages, 690 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dynamics of Remote Communication: Movement Coordination in Video-Mediated and Face-to-Face Conversations

by Julian Zubek, Ewa Nagórska, Joanna Komorowska-Mach, Katarzyna Skowrońska, Konrad Zieliński and Joanna Rączaszek-Leonardi

Entropy 2022, 24(4), 559; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24040559 - 15 Apr 2022

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3815

Abstract

The present pandemic forced our daily interactions to move into the virtual world. People had to adapt to new communication media that afford different ways of interaction. Remote communication decreases the availability and salience of some cues but also may enable and highlight [...] Read more.

The present pandemic forced our daily interactions to move into the virtual world. People had to adapt to new communication media that afford different ways of interaction. Remote communication decreases the availability and salience of some cues but also may enable and highlight others. Importantly, basic movement dynamics, which are crucial for any interaction as they are responsible for the informational and affective coupling, are affected. It is therefore essential to discover exactly how these dynamics change. In this exploratory study of six interacting dyads we use traditional variability measures and cross recurrence quantification analysis to compare the movement coordination dynamics in quasi-natural dialogues in four situations: (1) remote video-mediated conversations with a self-view mirror image present, (2) remote video-mediated conversations without a self-view, (3) face-to-face conversations with a self-view, and (4) face-to-face conversations without a self-view. We discovered that in remote interactions movements pertaining to communicative gestures were exaggerated, while the stability of interpersonal coordination was greatly decreased. The presence of the self-view image made the gestures less exaggerated, but did not affect the coordination. The dynamical analyses are helpful in understanding the interaction processes and may be useful in explaining phenomena connected with video-mediated communication, such as “Zoom fatigue”. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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13 pages, 1439 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Changes in the Complexity of Limb Movements during the First Year of Life across Different Tasks

by Zuzanna Laudańska, David López Pérez, Alicja Radkowska, Karolina Babis, Anna Malinowska-Korczak, Sebastian Wallot and Przemysław Tomalski

Entropy 2022, 24(4), 552; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24040552 - 15 Apr 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3435

Abstract

Infants’ limb movements evolve from disorganized to more selectively coordinated during the first year of life as they learn to navigate and interact with an ever-changing environment more efficiently. However, how these coordination patterns change during the first year of life and across [...] Read more.

Infants’ limb movements evolve from disorganized to more selectively coordinated during the first year of life as they learn to navigate and interact with an ever-changing environment more efficiently. However, how these coordination patterns change during the first year of life and across different contexts is unknown. Here, we used wearable motion trackers to study the developmental changes in the complexity of limb movements (arms and legs) at 4, 6, 9 and 12 months of age in two different tasks: rhythmic rattle-shaking and free play. We applied Multidimensional Recurrence Quantification Analysis (MdRQA) to capture the nonlinear changes in infants’ limb complexity. We show that the MdRQA parameters (entropy, recurrence rate and mean line) are task-dependent only at 9 and 12 months of age, with higher values in rattle-shaking than free play. Since rattle-shaking elicits more stable and repetitive limb movements than the free exploration of multiple objects, we interpret our data as reflecting an increase in infants’ motor control that allows for stable body positioning and easier execution of limb movements. Infants’ motor system becomes more stable and flexible with age, allowing for flexible adaptation of behaviors to task demands. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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19 pages, 2335 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Dynamic Autocatalytic Network Model of Therapeutic Change

by Kirthana Ganesh and Liane Gabora

Entropy 2022, 24(4), 547; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24040547 - 13 Apr 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3050

Abstract

Psychotherapy involves the modification of a client’s worldview to reduce distress and enhance well-being. We take a human dynamical systems approach to modeling this process, using Reflexively Autocatalytic foodset-derived (RAF) networks. RAFs have been used to model the self-organization of adaptive networks associated [...] Read more.

Psychotherapy involves the modification of a client’s worldview to reduce distress and enhance well-being. We take a human dynamical systems approach to modeling this process, using Reflexively Autocatalytic foodset-derived (RAF) networks. RAFs have been used to model the self-organization of adaptive networks associated with the origin and early evolution of both biological life, as well as the evolution and development of the kind of cognitive structure necessary for cultural evolution. The RAF approach is applicable in these seemingly disparate cases because it provides a theoretical framework for formally describing under what conditions systems composed of elements that interact and ‘catalyze’ the formation of new elements collectively become integrated wholes. In our application, the elements are mental representations, and the whole is a conceptual network. The initial components—referred to as foodset items—are mental representations that are innate, or were acquired through social learning or individual learning (of pre-existing information). The new elements—referred to as foodset-derived items—are mental representations that result from creative thought (resulting in new information). In clinical psychology, a client’s distress may be due to, or exacerbated by, one or more beliefs that diminish self-esteem. Such beliefs may be formed and sustained through distorted thinking, and the tendency to interpret ambiguous events as confirmation of these beliefs. We view psychotherapy as a creative collaborative process between therapist and client, in which the output is not an artwork or invention but a more well-adapted worldview and approach to life on the part of the client. In this paper, we model a hypothetical albeit representative example of the formation and dissolution of such beliefs over the course of a therapist–client interaction using RAF networks. We show how the therapist is able to elicit this worldview from the client and create a conceptualization of the client’s concerns. We then formally demonstrate four distinct ways in which the therapist is able to facilitate change in the client’s worldview: (1) challenging the client’s negative interpretations of events, (2) providing direct evidence that runs contrary to and counteracts the client’s distressing beliefs, (3) using self-disclosure to provide examples of strategies one can use to diffuse a negative conclusion, and (4) reinforcing the client’s attempts to assimilate such strategies into their own ways of thinking. We then discuss the implications of such an approach to expanding our knowledge of the development of mental health concerns and the trajectory of the therapeutic change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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17 pages, 1312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Studying Physiological Synchrony in Couple Therapy through Partial Directed Coherence: Associations with the Therapeutic Alliance and Meaning Construction

by Evrinomy Avdi, Evangelos Paraskevopoulos, Christina Lagogianni, Panagiotis Kartsidis and Fotis Plaskasovitis

Entropy 2022, 24(4), 517; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24040517 - 6 Apr 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3251

Abstract

In line with the growing recognition of the role of embodiment, affect and implicit processes in psychotherapy, several recent studies examine the role of physiological synchrony in the process and outcome of psychotherapy. This study aims to introduce Partial Directed Coherence (PDC) as [...] Read more.

In line with the growing recognition of the role of embodiment, affect and implicit processes in psychotherapy, several recent studies examine the role of physiological synchrony in the process and outcome of psychotherapy. This study aims to introduce Partial Directed Coherence (PDC) as a novel approach to calculating psychophysiological synchrony and examine its potential to contribute to our understanding of the therapy process. The study adopts a single-case, mixed-method design and examines physiological synchrony in one-couple therapy in relation to the therapeutic alliance and a narrative analysis of meaning construction in the sessions. Interpersonal Physiological Synchrony (IPS) was calculated, via a windowed approach, through PDC of a Heart Rate Variability-derived physiological index, which was measured in the third and penultimate sessions. Our mixed-method analysis shows that PDC quantified significant moments of IPS within and across the sessions, modeling the characteristics of interpersonal interaction as well as the effects of therapy on the interactional dynamics. The findings of this study point to the complex interplay between explicit and implicit levels of interaction and the potential contribution of including physiological synchrony in the study of interactional processes in psychotherapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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17 pages, 2078 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recurrence-Based Synchronization Analysis of Weakly Coupled Bursting Neurons under External ELF Fields

by Aissatou Mboussi Nkomidio, Eulalie Ketchamen Ngamga, Blaise Romeo Nana Nbendjo, Jürgen Kurths and Norbert Marwan

Entropy 2022, 24(2), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24020235 - 3 Feb 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3227

Abstract

We investigate the response characteristics of a two-dimensional neuron model exposed to an externally applied extremely low frequency (ELF) sinusoidal electric field and the synchronization of neurons weakly coupled with gap junction. We find, by numerical simulations, that neurons can exhibit different spiking [...] Read more.

We investigate the response characteristics of a two-dimensional neuron model exposed to an externally applied extremely low frequency (ELF) sinusoidal electric field and the synchronization of neurons weakly coupled with gap junction. We find, by numerical simulations, that neurons can exhibit different spiking patterns, which are well observed in the structure of the recurrence plot (RP). We further study the synchronization between weakly coupled neurons in chaotic regimes under the influence of a weak ELF electric field. In general, detecting the phases of chaotic spiky signals is not easy by using standard methods. Recurrence analysis provides a reliable tool for defining phases even for noncoherent regimes or spiky signals. Recurrence-based synchronization analysis reveals that, even in the range of weak coupling, phase synchronization of the coupled neurons occurs and, by adding an ELF electric field, this synchronization increases depending on the amplitude of the externally applied ELF electric field. We further suggest a novel measure for RP-based phase synchronization analysis, which better takes into account the probabilities of recurrences. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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18 pages, 5484 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Alternate Entropy Computations by Applying Recurrence Matrix Masking

by Charles L. Webber, Jr.

Entropy 2022, 24(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/e24010016 - 23 Dec 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3571

Abstract

In practicality, recurrence analyses of dynamical systems can only process short sections of signals that may be infinitely long. By necessity, the recurrence plot and its quantifications are constrained within a truncated triangle that clips the signals at its borders. Recurrence variables defined [...] Read more.

In practicality, recurrence analyses of dynamical systems can only process short sections of signals that may be infinitely long. By necessity, the recurrence plot and its quantifications are constrained within a truncated triangle that clips the signals at its borders. Recurrence variables defined within these confining borders can be influenced more or less by truncation effects depending upon the system under evaluation. In this study, the question being asked is what if the boundary borders were tilted, what would be the effect on all recurrence variables? This question was prompted by the observation that line entropy values are maximized for highly periodic systems in which the infinitely long line elements are truncated to different unique lengths. However, by redefining the recurrence plot area to a 45-degree tilted box within the triangular area, the diagonal lines would consequently be truncated to identical lengths. Such masking would minimize the line entropy to 0.000 bits/bin. However, what new truncation influences would be imposed on the other recurrence variables? This question is examined by comparing recurrence variables computed with the triangular recurrence area versus boxed recurrence area. Examples include the logistic equation (mathematical series), the Dow Jones Industrial Average over a decade (real-word data), and a square wave pulse (toy series). Good agreement among the variables in terms of timing and amplitude was found for most, but not all variables. These important results are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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13 pages, 2204 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Affect-Logic, Embodiment, Synergetics, and the Free Energy Principle: New Approaches to the Understanding and Treatment of Schizophrenia

by Luc Ciompi and Wolfgang Tschacher

Entropy 2021, 23(12), 1619; https://doi.org/10.3390/e23121619 - 1 Dec 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4126

Abstract

This theoretical paper explores the affect-logic approach to schizophrenia in light of the general complexity theories of cognition: embodied cognition, Haken’s synergetics, and Friston’s free energy principle. According to affect-logic, the mental apparatus is an embodied system open to its environment, driven by [...] Read more.

This theoretical paper explores the affect-logic approach to schizophrenia in light of the general complexity theories of cognition: embodied cognition, Haken’s synergetics, and Friston’s free energy principle. According to affect-logic, the mental apparatus is an embodied system open to its environment, driven by bioenergetic inputs of emotions. Emotions are rooted in goal-directed embodied states selected by evolutionary pressure for coping with specific situations such as fight, flight, attachment, and others. According to synergetics, nonlinear bifurcations and the emergence of new global patterns occur in open systems when control parameters reach a critical level. Applied to the emergence of psychotic states, synergetics and the proposed energetic understanding of emotions lead to the hypothesis that critical levels of emotional tension may be responsible for the transition from normal to psychotic modes of functioning in vulnerable individuals. In addition, the free energy principle through learning suggests that psychotic symptoms correspond to alternative modes of minimizing free energy, which then entails distorted perceptions of the body, self, and reality. This synthetic formulation has implications for novel therapeutic and preventive strategies in the treatment of psychoses, among these are milieu-therapeutic approaches of the Soteria type that focus on a sustained reduction of emotional tension and phenomenologically oriented methods for improving the perception of body, self, and reality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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10 pages, 1117 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Clients’ Emotional Experiences Tied to Therapist-Led (but Not Client-Led) Physiological Synchrony during Imagery Rescripting

by Jessica Prinz, Eshkol Rafaeli, Jana Wasserheß and Wolfgang Lutz

Entropy 2021, 23(12), 1556; https://doi.org/10.3390/e23121556 - 23 Nov 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2440

Abstract

Imagery rescripting (IR), an effective intervention technique, may achieve its benefits through various change mechanisms. Previous work has indicated that client–therapist physiological synchrony during IR may serve as one such mechanism. The present work explores the possibility that therapist-led vs. client-led synchrony may [...] Read more.

Imagery rescripting (IR), an effective intervention technique, may achieve its benefits through various change mechanisms. Previous work has indicated that client–therapist physiological synchrony during IR may serve as one such mechanism. The present work explores the possibility that therapist-led vs. client-led synchrony may be differentially tied to clients’ emotional experiences in therapy. The analyses were conducted with data taken from an open trial of a brief protocol for treating test anxiety (86 IR sessions from 50 client–therapist dyads). Physiological synchrony in electrodermal activity was indexed using two cross-correlation functions per session: once for client leading and again for therapist leading (in both cases, with lags up to 10 s). The clients’ and therapists’ in-session emotions were assessed with the Profile of Mood States. Actor–partner interdependence models showed that certain client (but not therapist) in-session emotions, namely higher contentment and lower anxiety and depression, were tied to therapist-led (but not client-led) physiological synchrony. The results suggest that therapist-led synchrony (i.e., clients’ arousal tracking therapists’ earlier arousal) is tied to more positive and less negative emotional experiences for clients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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25 pages, 959 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Affective Saturation Index: A Lexical Measure of Affect

by Alessandro Gennaro, Valeria Carola, Cristina Ottaviani, Chiara Pesca, Arianna Palmieri and Sergio Salvatore

Entropy 2021, 23(11), 1421; https://doi.org/10.3390/e23111421 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 18285

Abstract

Affect plays a major role in the individual’s daily life, driving the sensemaking of experience, psychopathological conditions, social representations of phenomena, and ways of coping with others. The characteristics of affect have been traditionally investigated through physiological, self-report, and behavioral measures. The present [...] Read more.

Affect plays a major role in the individual’s daily life, driving the sensemaking of experience, psychopathological conditions, social representations of phenomena, and ways of coping with others. The characteristics of affect have been traditionally investigated through physiological, self-report, and behavioral measures. The present article proposes a text-based measure to detect affect intensity: the Affective Saturation Index (ASI). The ASI rationale and the conceptualization of affect are overviewed, and an initial validation study on the ASI’s convergent and concurrent validity is presented. Forty individuals completed a non-clinical semi-structured interview. For each interview transcript, the ASI was esteemed and compared to the individual’s physiological index of propensity to affective arousal (measured by heart rate variability (HRV)); transcript semantic complexity (measured through the Semantic Entropy Index (SEI)); and lexical syntactic complexity (measured through the Flesch–Vacca Index (FVI)). ANOVAs and bi-variate correlations estimated the size of the relationships between indexes and sample characteristics (age, gender), then a set of multiple linear regressions tested the ASI’s association with HRV, the SEI, and the FVI. Results support the ASI construct and criteria validity. The ASI proved able to detect affective saturation in interview transcripts (SEI and FVI, adjusted R² = 0.428 and adjusted R² = 0.241, respectively) and the way the text’s affective saturation reflected the intensity of the individual’s affective state (HRV, adjusted R² = 0.428). In conclusion, although the specificity of the sample (psychology students) limits the findings’ generalizability, the ASI provides the chance to use written texts to measure affect in accordance with a dynamic approach, independent of the spatio-temporal setting in which they were produced. In doing so, the ASI provides a way to empower the empirical analysis of fields such as psychotherapy and social group dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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18 pages, 1084 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Beyond Dyadic Coupling: The Method of Multivariate Surrogate Synchrony (mv-SUSY)

by Deborah Meier and Wolfgang Tschacher

Entropy 2021, 23(11), 1385; https://doi.org/10.3390/e23111385 - 22 Oct 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2843

Abstract

Measuring interpersonal synchrony is a promising approach to assess the complexity of social interaction, which however has been mostly limited to dyads. In this study, we introduce multivariate Surrogate Synchrony (mv-SUSY) to extend the current set of computational methods. Methods: mv-SUSY was applied [...] Read more.

Measuring interpersonal synchrony is a promising approach to assess the complexity of social interaction, which however has been mostly limited to dyads. In this study, we introduce multivariate Surrogate Synchrony (mv-SUSY) to extend the current set of computational methods. Methods: mv-SUSY was applied to eight datasets consisting of 10 time series each, all with n = 9600 observations. Datasets 1 to 5 consist of simulated time series with the following characteristics: white noise (dataset 1), non-stationarity with linear time trends (dataset 2), autocorrelation (dataset 3), oscillation (dataset 4), and multivariate correlation (dataset 5). Datasets 6 to 8 comprise empirical multivariate movement data of two individuals (datasets 6 and 7) and between members of a group discussion (dataset 8.) Results: As hypothesized, findings of mv-SUSY revealed absence of synchrony in datasets 1 to 4 and presence of synchrony in dataset 5. In the empirical datasets, mv-SUSY indicated significant movement synchrony. These results were predominantly replicated by two well-established dyadic synchrony approaches, Surrogate Synchrony (SUSY) and Surrogate Concordance (SUCO). Conclusions: The study applied and evaluated a novel synchrony approach, mv-SUSY. We demonstrated the feasibility and validity of estimating multivariate nonverbal synchrony within and between individuals by mv-SUSY. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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8 pages, 624 KiB

Open AccessPerspective

Human Synchronization Maps—The Hybrid Consciousness of the Embodied Mind

by Franco Orsucci

Entropy 2021, 23(12), 1569; https://doi.org/10.3390/e23121569 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2351

Abstract

We examine the theoretical implications of empirical studies developed over recent years. These experiments have explored the biosemiotic nature of communication streams from emotional neuroscience and embodied mind perspectives. Information combinatorics analysis enabled a deeper understanding of the coupling and decoupling dynamics of [...] Read more.

We examine the theoretical implications of empirical studies developed over recent years. These experiments have explored the biosemiotic nature of communication streams from emotional neuroscience and embodied mind perspectives. Information combinatorics analysis enabled a deeper understanding of the coupling and decoupling dynamics of biosemiotics streams. We investigated intraindividual and interpersonal relations as coevolution dynamics of hybrid couplings, synchronizations, and desynchronizations. Cluster analysis and Markov chains produced evidence of chimaera states and phase transitions. A probabilistic and nondeterministic approach clarified the properties of these hybrid dynamics. Thus, multidimensional theoretical models can represent the hybrid nature of human interactions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications)

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