The effect of balance on the production of multimodal communication

Abstract

Bipedalism transformed human communication by enabling the body to balance on a minimal base of support. We hypothesize that balance control is a key evolutionary mechanism shaping multimodal communication. To test this, we investigated how speech and gesture production change under different balance conditions during an interactive Taboo game. Participants communicated with a partner while standing on solid ground or a wobble board, the latter simulating the instability of early bipedal movement. Using PRAAT, Pose2Sim, and ELAN, we aim to provide the first empirical evidence of how balance control influenced the coordination of vocal and gestural expressions.

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Person description

Suzanne Aussems is an assitant professor at the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick. In her research, she focuses on cognitive development and language acquisition, including the role of hand gestures and other communicative modalities.