The KMP study group discovered that as infants mature, their movement repertoires expand and certain qualities become more or less frequent based on their developmental phase and individual personality and experiences.
[5] Koch also conducted a study in 2014 on the utility of the KMP concluding that there was a significant effect of dynamic movements (indulging versus fighting rhythms) on attitudes and affects in adults.
Among the various approaches are: Presently, individual researchers, therapists, anthropologists and movement specialists use the KMP through the lens of their own frameworks.
[9][10][11] Frances Labarre (2001), Christine Caldwell (2010) Kestenberg Amighi (1990) and others have pointed to the importance cultural influences in the study and analysis of movement patterns.
Once one begins to interpret or evaluate a movement profile, in comparison to developmental norms or is seeking psychological meaning, cultural influences become more of a concern.
The KMP system is taught at the graduate level to dance/movement therapists as a tool for clinical assessment and intervention for clients across the lifespan,[12][13] and has been used as a research tool in identifying nonverbal behaviors of infant-parent dyads and maternal depression[14] Small infants have wide repertoires of movement qualities, each in theory, coming to greater maturity and prominence as each developmental phase unfolds.
[17][18] How much the movement qualities are expressed or fade is a product of individual temperament, experiences, and context, as well as developmental age.