Research Project
Collaboration with Ulysses Bernardet (SIAT – SFU), Karen Studd and Karen Bradley (LIMS), Thecla Schiphorst (SIAT -SFU)
Laban Movement Analysis (LMA) is a language for analyzing and describing human movement. It is an observational, expert-based method by which Certified Movement Analysts provide a qualitative analysis of a movement observed either directly or indirectly (e.g. video). As LMA is used increasingly in various research fields, particularly when studying movement creativity and computation, it is essential to generate an understanding of its reliability as a method. In this research project, we investigate the reliability of LMA, and attempt to identify the strengths and weaknesses of this movement coding system, considering it as an instrument to measure movement. We conduct an experiment in which 18 expert participants observe and annotate videos of movement according to LMA categories. We compare participants’ responses. We analyze how the movement observation and annotation using the LMA language vary from a category to another of the system. By doing so, we discuss the reliability of the different categories of LMA as an observational instrument.
Publication:
Ulysses Bernardet, Sarah Fdili Alaoui, Karen Studd, Karen Bradley, Philippe Pasquier, Thecla Schiphorst, “Assessing the Reliability of the Laban Movement Analysis System”, PLOS ONE, 2019.