Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios
Published on: August 4, 2023
Can tics be performed convincingly by an actor?
Kirsten R Müller-Vahl1, Laura Riemann1, Hermann Krämer2
1Clinic of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg-Straße 1, 30625 Hannover, Germany.
Background:
In the German movie "Vincent will Meer" a healthy actor portrays a man with Tourette's syndrome. Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the performance of tics is convincing and whether this judgment depends on whether he/she suffers from tics or not.
Methods:
While the movie was broadcasted in German cinemas, we put an online survey (including 28 questions on different aspects related to the observation, performance, and authenticity of tics) on the web pages of the German self-help group. 276/296 surveys submitted could be used for further analyses.
Result:
95.7% of all participants felt that the performance of tics was convincing. However, people with tics (n = 26) were less convinced compared to those who had never met a person with tics (n = 110) (P = 0.020).
Conclusions:
Our results further support the hypothesis that tics are not "abnormal" but "physiological" movements that are only misplaced both in time and context.
More Related Videos
08:01Virtual Hand with Ambiguous Movement between the Self and Other Origin: Sense of Ownership and 'Other-Produced' Agency
Published on: October 28, 2020
09:55Use of a Psychophysiological Script-driven Imagery Experiment to Study Trauma-related Dissociation in Borderline Personality Disorder
Published on: March 8, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Actor-Observer Effect
Impression Management Techniques I: Managing Appearances
The Stanford Prison Experiment
Fixed Action Patterns
Physical Assessment of the Respiratory Tract III: Percussion
Percussion in Respiratory Assessment
Percussion evaluates underlying tissue composition with audible and tactile vibrations,...
Nonconscious Mimicry