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

A special issue of Entropy (ISSN 1099-4300). This special issue belongs to the section "Complexity".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (21 July 2022) | Viewed by 48211

Printed Edition Available!
A printed edition of this Special Issue is available here.

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Franco Orsucci

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Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University College London, London E14 9TS, UK
Interests: clinical psychology; psychiatry; complexity science; neuroscience; human interfaces
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Tschacher

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Experimental Psychology, University Hospital of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bern, CH-3060 Bern, Switzerland
Interests: clinical psychology; psychiatry; complexity science; neuroscience; interpersonal synchrony

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Self-organization and synchronization are common in human interactions. Empirical research finds that regular patterns of interaction arise in all human relations. The therapist-patient relationship can help to highlight further how interactions evolve and can be changed. Attractors describe stable states of a process, e.g. stability or instability of personality and disorders. They can be detected and described based on empirical time series.

Change is studied in phase transitions when dynamics move between different attractors. This might be evident in behaviors, mental states, and neurobiology. Theoretical models can represent dynamical maps of change in mathematical equations and topological structures. Mapping theory to empirical research, and vice versa, is challenging but heuristic.

Social and clinical sciences are also using qualitative research and models of complexity. They can be metaphorical or well linked to empirical data. The status of qualitative research in Complexity Science can be relevant in relation to quantitative approaches.

One of the main features of complexity and self-organization is the presence of scaling and fractal dynamics with emergence of higher order organizations. Human heterogeneous networks present specific kinds of self-similarity in the embodied mind, individual and social dynamics. Human dynamical systems mapping present rugged landscapes still being explored, including deterministic chaos, stochastic indeterminism, quantum field granularities.

Finally, translational processes and procedures from research to applications and vice versa are particularly relevant as they frequently include interdisciplinary collaborations.

Prof. Dr. Franco Orsucci
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Tschacher
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Entropy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (15 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 205 KiB  
Editorial
Complexity Science in Human Change: Research, Models, Clinical Applications
by Franco Orsucci and Wolfgang Tschacher
Entropy 2022, 24(11), 1670; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24111670 - 17 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1390
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24091314 - 19 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2101
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24091307 - 15 Sep 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2222
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24081089 - 07 Aug 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1795
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24040559 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2659
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24040552 - 15 Apr 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2423
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  
Article
A Dynamic Autocatalytic Network Model of Therapeutic Change
by Kirthana Ganesh and Liane Gabora
Entropy 2022, 24(4), 547; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24040547 - 13 Apr 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2134
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24040517 - 06 Apr 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1961
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24020235 - 03 Feb 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2161
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  
Article
Alternate Entropy Computations by Applying Recurrence Matrix Masking
by Charles L. Webber, Jr.
Entropy 2022, 24(1), 16; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e24010016 - 23 Dec 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2837
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23121619 - 01 Dec 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2849
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23121556 - 23 Nov 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1547
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  
Article
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://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23111421 - 28 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 16879
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  
Article
Beyond Dyadic Coupling: The Method of Multivariate Surrogate Synchrony (mv-SUSY)
by Deborah Meier and Wolfgang Tschacher
Entropy 2021, 23(11), 1385; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23111385 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 1890
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  
Perspective
Human Synchronization Maps—The Hybrid Consciousness of the Embodied Mind
by Franco Orsucci
Entropy 2021, 23(12), 1569; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/e23121569 - 25 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1647
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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