Time Series Notation

Time Series Notation Defined

A critical element of any nonverbal coding system is establishing a mechanism to track body position and movement in a systematic manner. The key involves tracking a particular body movement related to the particulars of a verbal statement made by a person. The aim is to establish a connection between verbal spoken elements of a message and the context and message communicated by body movements. Time elements are important in linking elements of nonverbal body position and the actual spoken words of the person.

The analysis must provide a means to evaluate the movement of the entire body (arms, torso, feet, and hands) and not just one element. The coding or analytic device must provide a means of capturing the simultaneous movement or position of all elements of the body. The problem is that there is an infinite number (or at least a very large number) of potential positions that the body can assume. The challenge is to provide a means of systematically capturing all the possible positions of the body in a manner that is efficient and manageable. If one were to generate a coding system that provided a unique code for each body position and then recoded the code for the body position after a change, the net result would be a single coding system with thousands of possible values. Trying to code body position with a rubric that would have to decide among thousands of possible values when coding every second would be unworkable and ultimately inefficient. The search for a viable system of representing body position and movement requires a reconsideration of how to conceptualize the process.

If one placed a body in a position and then were to code for the body position using this system, another person could take the resulting codes and position a body in the identical position. A comparison of photographs of the original person and the next person whose body was positioned using these codes demonstrates the ability to recreate an almost identical image. The reason for the ability to make accurate recreations of body position and movements lies in the measurement of each separate body part on a three-dimensional axis and therefore a separate placement of each body part in the relevant position. The numerical system removes the need for verbal descriptive terms or unique codes for particular body positions or orientations. The effect is an abstract system similar to an alphabet that permits the generation of codes. When combined, it provides for unique positions. In this respect, it is also much like the orientation of letters that are arranged into words and employed in a grammatical calculus that generates sentences capable of interpretation. The use of a generative system permits a uniform ability to represent the various options and combinations of possible body positions using a common frame. This same frame can be used to represent a very different body position or set of positions without the need to fundamentally modify the underlying code used for analysis.

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