Dr Aleksandra Ćwiek from the EVO team co-authored the article Data Collection in Multimodal Language and Communication Research: A Flexible Decision Framework, published in the journal Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science.
Research on language and communication is no longer limited to speech and writing. Increasingly, it also includes sign languages, gestures, facial expressions, and other bodily actions. The tools used by researchers have evolved as well: alongside tape recorders and video cameras, researchers now use motion-tracking systems, depth cameras that capture the three-dimensional structure of scenes, and techniques for integrating data from multiple sources. These technologies make it possible to ask questions that until recently were beyond reach — but working with such diverse recordings also creates new challenges, especially for researchers who are just entering the field.
At the same time, audiovisual data are becoming both easier to collect and increasingly essential for analysis. However, there are still no widely shared guidelines on how to use such data effectively. The article co-authored by Dr Ćwiek is a first step toward developing a more standardized approach.
The authors propose a flexible decision-making framework that guides researchers through key choices: how to match research questions to specific types of data, how to design studies and collect material, how to synchronize different recording streams, what ethical considerations to keep in mind, and how to store, share, and reuse data afterward.
The framework is illustrated with concrete examples — from controlled laboratory experiments and large annotated sign language corpora to field studies, including research on non-human primates. Rather than offering a single universal solution, the authors show where researchers need to make informed decisions, what trade-offs these decisions involve, and how other scholars have approached similar challenges.
“The article is the result of interdisciplinary collaboration within a consortium devoted to visual communication, funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) between 2022 and 2025. The consortium is now entering its next funding phase, and I am excited to see what further outcomes our collaboration will produce,” says Dr Aleksandra Ćwiek.