PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

J S Longstaff

Publications and source records attributed to J S Longstaff.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

Re-evaluating Rudolf Laban's choreutics.

The choreutic conception of kinesthetic-motor space originally proposed by Rudolf Laban is given psychological validation through comparisons with similar conceptual models in spatial cognition and motor control research. Highly differentiated systems of reference are distinguished. Spatial paths are mentally represented as a series of locations linked into polygonal trajectories. Map-like images of the kinesphere' are structured with polyhedral networks. A fundamental practice consists of transforming spatial information with various operations (rotation, reflection, sizing, etc.). Loci are linked into spatial 'scales' which provide symmetrical solutions to geometric puzzles such as the traveling salesman problem and those devised by Hamilton (Icosian game) and Euler (Koenigsberg bridge problem). In the body these are considered to be prototypes for spatial paths used during adjustments of dynamic equilibrium. The choreutic conception of polyhedral body space is especially similar to the trajectory formation model. The choreutic principal of topological forms deflecting across various kinespheric nets is analogous to N. Bernstein's description of the "net of the motor field ... as oscillating like a cobweb in the wind." These commonalities indicate that further critical reviews of "choreutic laws" might be valuable in suggesting conceptual models and analytical tools for movement study in cognitive science.

Cognition↗

Subjective organisation in the recall of abstract body movements.

Subjective organisation is a well known characteristic of verbal free recall in that items are recalled in groupings known as "chunks" or "clusters." This organisation is indicative of a memory strategy and has been used to derive the cognitive structure of particular areas of knowledge. Clustering might also occur in the free recall of body movements. Subjects attempted to learn unfamiliar abstract body movements over five learning and recall trials. Analysis showed that subjective organisation occurred and increased with additional recall trials. This extends the clustering effect to the free recall of body movements. It is suggested that this effect can be used to probe the cognitive structure of motor memory.

Adult↗