Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reaching-To-Grasp My Intention: Relating Communication Skill With Social Action, Jennifer A. Cooper

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The present study investigated whether social aptitude is related to the effects of social intention on reach-to-grasp actions. Reach-to-grasp actions performed with social intentions (e.g. reaching to pick up a coffee cup to give to a friend) are characterized by different kinematic patterns than those performed with nonsocial intentions (e.g. reaching to pick up a coffee cup to move it aside). These intention-based kinematic changes are thought to serve a communicative function, allowing co-actors to better predict and respond to actions that are relevant to them. If this is true, then individuals who rate themselves as strong communicators should show …