marct
07-19-2007, 12:18 PM
Hi Folks,
CBC.ca highlighted a story today (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/18/science-gesture.html) on the impact of culture on the brain in terms of body language recognition (the original paper is here (http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0000626)). Basically, it appears that body language ("proxemics" in the technical sense along with gesture) is not only culturally defined, which we knew, but is culturally encoded in the brain for recognition. In a related story (http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/05/02/science-gestures.html), there was a PNAS article on Ape gestures (http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0702624104v1) that appears to back up he idea that human language derived from a gestural communication system.
These findings, and especially the first article, may have some applicability in training for a recognition of other cultures gestures and body language.
Marc
CBC.ca highlighted a story today (http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/07/18/science-gesture.html) on the impact of culture on the brain in terms of body language recognition (the original paper is here (http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0000626)). Basically, it appears that body language ("proxemics" in the technical sense along with gesture) is not only culturally defined, which we knew, but is culturally encoded in the brain for recognition. In a related story (http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2007/05/02/science-gestures.html), there was a PNAS article on Ape gestures (http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0702624104v1) that appears to back up he idea that human language derived from a gestural communication system.
These findings, and especially the first article, may have some applicability in training for a recognition of other cultures gestures and body language.
Marc