HAPTIC: Haptic Analysis and Processing of Therapeutic Interactions with Clay — Coding System (Version 2026)

HAPTIC (Haptic Analysis and Processing of Therapeutic Interactions with Clay) is a structured observational coding system designed for the identification and analysis of haptic praxes during clay work. The system comprises 36 codable praxes organized along two dimensions: a motor intensity dimension (7 generic praxes × 4 intensity levels) and a developmental dimension specific to the shape praxis (4 levels for adults, 4 levels for children). This deposit includes two indissociable components: the Coding Manual, which provides operational definitions, identification criteria, and decision rules for each praxis; and the Coding Grid, the structured observation instrument used for data collection. HAPTIC was developed within a doctoral research project at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland (Laboratoire CARLA), which investigated the neurophysiological correlates of therapy with clay through heart rate variability (HRV) measurement. The coding system emerged from the need to characterize and quantify haptic praxes in relation to autonomic nervous system responses, establishing a direct bridge between observational behavioral analysis and neuroscience. Psychometric validation demonstrated excellent inter-rater reliability (global Cohen's κ = 0.921, adult corpus, n = 6,411 occurrences; κ = 0.89, children's corpus, ages 9–11). The theoretical and methodological foundations of the system are presented in Démurger and Pomini (2026). The system is intended for researchers and clinicians working in the fields of haptic perception, sensorimotor research, neuroscience, therapy with clay, occupational therapy, art therapy, psychotherapy, psychotraumatology, developmental psychology, and rehabilitation science. It provides a standardized observational framework applicable across clinical, research, and training contexts.