Databases

 

Photorealistic actions

A database of whole-body action videos for the study of action, emotion, and untrustworthiness

The database contains 2783 action videos consisting of multiple actions performed by multiple actors conveying different emotions and filmed from 3 viewpoints in both 2D and 3D. 

Actors: 29 (19 females, 10 males)

Actions: 6 (walking left, sitting, picking up box, placing box, jumping, standing and acting)

Emotions: 5 (happy, sad, angry, fearful, untrustworthy)

Filmed from: 0 degrees in 3D, -45 degrees in 2D, +45 degrees in 2D

Duration: 3 seconds lead in time, action duration 4 seconds

003m_hap_8.5_jum_1.wmv

Example movie of actor jumping conveying happiness

If you use this database in your research please cite:

Keefe, B. D., Villing, M., Racey, C., Strong, S. L., Wincenciak, J., & Barraclough, N. E. (2014). A database of whole-body action videos for the study of action, emotion, and untrustworthiness. Behavior research methods, 46, 1042-1051.

Problems accessing database?

Files for downloading
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Still having problems?

email: nick.barraclough@york.ac.uk

Motion-capture actions

A database of 240 motion-capture actions covering 4-dimensional action space

The database contains 240 actions chosen to represent as broad a range of action types as possible based upon the examination of 12 different databases of actions. Actions were recorded (at 60 fps) from four actors (two female) using a 32-channel motion capture suit (Noitom, Noitom International, Inc., FL. USA). Those actions that were transitive were executed whilst interacting with appropriate objects to ensure that they were performed in a natural fashion. However, the movements of the objects were not captured and objects were not present in the resulting actions in order to allow morphing between these actions.

The full detail of the quality control procedures in making these actions are detailed in: Vinton, L. C., Preston, C., de la Rosa, S., Mackie, G., Tipper, S. P., Barraclough, N. E. (2023) Four fundamental dimensions underlie the perception of human actions. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 1-23

Please cite this paper if you use these stimuli in your research.

All actions are available from: https://osf.io/4vew8/

celebratingalone.mp4
accusing.mp4
catchingsmall.mp4
drinking.mp4

Action .bvh data was used to animate an androgynous volumetric avatar (see examples). The actions are available as .mp4 videos from the OSF (although in other formats if you contact Nick directly). The avatar ensures that only action information (body posture and body movements) is available to the viewer. This ensures the elimination of other social information (face identity/traits/expressions, body shape, skin texture/colour, clothing etc.).

We have developed a way of morphing (and 'characterising') up to 16 of these actions simultaneously. This allows the generation of novel actions that can be parametrically varied within an action space (e.g. as used in Vlasceanu et al. 2024). Contact Nick if you are interested in this method.

We have a large amount of data on the evaluation of these actions by many different observers. Some of this is also available at the OSF site, but more is being added weekly as we better understand how observers, see, detect, discriminate and interpret these actions. Again - contact Nick if you are interested!