A commonly held assumption is that demonstration and pantomime differ from ordinary action in that the movements are slowed down and exaggerated to be better understood by intended receivers. This claim has, however, been based on meagre empirical support. This article provides direct evidence that the different functional demands of demonstration and pantomime result in motion characteristics that differ from those for praxic action. In the experiment, participants were dressed in motion capture suits and asked to (1) perform an action, (2) demonstrate this action so that somebody else could learn how to perform it, (3) pantomime this action without using the object so that somebody else could learn how to perform it, and (4) pantomime this action without using the object so that somebody else could distinguish it from another action. The results confirm that actors slow down and exaggerate their movements in demonstrations and pantomimes when compared to ordinary actions.

一个普遍持有的假设是，演示和哑剧与普通动作的不同之处在于，动作被放慢并夸张，以便目标接收者更好地理解。然而，这一主张的实证支持微乎其微。本文提供了直接证据，表明演示和哑剧的不同功能需求导致了与实际动作不同的运动特征。在实验中，参与者穿着动作捕捉服，并被要求（1）执行一个动作，（2）演示这个动作，以便其他人可以学习如何执行它，（3）在不使用物体的情况下表演这个动作，以便其他人可以学习如何执行该动作，并且（4）在不使用该物体的情况下模仿该动作，以便其他人可以将其与另一个动作区分开来。结果证实，与普通动作相比，演员在示威和哑剧中会放慢并夸大他们的动作。