1
|
Monroy E, Orgs G, Sagiv N. Aesthetic preference in the production of image sequences. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1165143. [PMID: 38098532 PMCID: PMC10720618 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1165143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction This research uses the production method to study aesthetic preference for sequences of human body postures. In two experiments, participants produced image sequences based on their aesthetic preferences, while we measured the visual aesthetic features displayed in the compositions. Methods In Experiment 1, participants created static image sequences based on their preferences. In Experiment 2, participants sorted images into apparent motion sequences they preferred to view. Results In Experiment 1, good continuation of successive bodies and body-like objects was the preferred order. In Experiment 2, participants preferred abstract images with local sequential symmetry and human body postures exhibiting global sequential symmetry. Discussion Our findings are compared to those of previous studies that employed the more widely used method of choice. Our experiments propose novel methods and conceptualizations for investigating aesthetic preferences for human body movement and other types of stimulus sequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Monroy
- Department of Psychology, Brunel University London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - Guido Orgs
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Noam Sagiv
- Department of Psychology, Brunel University London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Geukes K, Hecht V, Utesch T, Bläsing B, Back MD. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest dancer of them all? A naturalistic lens model study on the judgment of dance performance. PSYCHOLOGY OF SPORT AND EXERCISE 2023; 67:102436. [PMID: 37665889 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychsport.2023.102436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/06/2023]
Abstract
Success as a dancer is closely associated with positive dance judgments by perceivers. Although dancers' physical appearance (attractiveness, style) might affect dance judgments beyond dance-specific attributes (technique, expression), they have largely been unconsidered in previous studies. To contribute to a comprehensive explanation of real-life dance judgments, we applied the lens model, an approach explicitly developed to explain the emergence of social judgments by multiple attributes. Therefore, video-records of 70 solo performances were (1) rated regarding dancers' physical appearance, technique, and expression and (2) judged by 33 perceivers. Results of cross-classified mixed-effects models revealed that attributes of all domains were significantly related to dance judgements. Considered simultaneously, however, only dance-specific attributes contributed to the prediction of dance judgments. Additional moderation analyses underscored the importance of perceivers' expertise in judging dance. We discuss the lens model as suitable framework for a naturalistic approach to the study of aesthetic experiences and sports performances.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - V Hecht
- University of Münster, Germany
| | | | - B Bläsing
- Technical University, Dortmund, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Aesthetic preferences for causality in biological movements arise from visual processes. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1803-1811. [PMID: 35501545 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02106-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
"People watching" is a ubiquitous component of human activities. An important aspect of such activities is the aesthetic experience that arises naturally from seeing how elegant people move their bodies in performing different actions. What makes some body movements look better than others? We examine how the human visual system gives rise to aesthetic experience from observing actions, using "creatures" generated by spatially scrambling locations of a point-light walker's joints. Observers rated how aesthetically pleasing and lifelike creatures were when the trajectories of joints were generated either from an upright walker (thus exhibiting gravitational acceleration) or an inverted walker (thus defying gravity), and were either congruent to the direction of global body displacements or incongruent (as in the moonwalk). Observers gave both higher aesthetic and animacy ratings for creatures with upright compared to inverted trajectories, and congruent compared to incongruent movements. Moreover, after controlling for animacy, aesthetic preferences for causally plausible movements (those in accord with gravity and body displacement) persisted. This systematicity in aesthetic impressions, even in the absence of explicit recognition of the moving agents, suggests an important role of automatic perceptual mechanisms in determining aesthetic experiences.
Collapse
|
4
|
Kawano Y, Cheng-Feng L, Kuno-Mizumura M. Both Upper and Lower Limb Movements Contribute to Aesthetics of the Piqué Arabesque in Ballet. J Dance Med Sci 2021; 26:15-24. [PMID: 34865680 DOI: 10.12678/1089-313x.031522c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the factor structures-which are the predominant frameworks for describing the basic dimensions of a concept-that contribute to the aesthetics of body position in ballet. This study was composed of three-dimensional movement analysis and subjective evaluation. Fourteen ballet dancers participated in the three-dimensional movement analysis. Thirty-six reflective markers were attached to the dancers' bodies, after which the dancers performed a piqué arabesque, a position in which the weight transfers from one leg to the other. This movement was captured using eight optical cameras and one video camera. Biomechanical parameters, such as the joint angle and velocity of each body part, were calculated from the coordinates of the markers. Twenty-eight videos recorded in the three-dimensional movement analysis were viewed by 51 observers with ballet experience. The observers subjectively evaluated the videos through four category pairs-"beautiful-ugly," "like-dislike," "interesting-not interesting," and "good-bad"-on a five-point semantic differential scale. Two groups, the top and bottom 30%, were extracted based on the "beautiful-ugly" rating and compared using an independent t-test. In addition, exploratory factor analysis was performed on the biomechanical parameters that showed significant differences. Five factors were identified: "stability of the right distal upper limb and upper body," "torso displacement speed," "stability of the left distal upper limb and line of the support leg," "height of the gesture leg," and "stability of the support leg around the hip joint and line of the limbs on the gesture leg side." These results indicate that the movements of both upper and lower limbs contributed to the aesthetics of the ballet position of piqué arabesque. These findings will be useful for ballet teachers and dancers to understand the intrinsic aesthetics of movements.
Collapse
|
5
|
Christensen JF, Vartanian M, Sancho-Escanero L, Khorsandi S, Yazdi SHN, Farahi F, Borhani K, Gomila A. A Practice-Inspired Mindset for Researching the Psychophysiological and Medical Health Effects of Recreational Dance (Dance Sport). Front Psychol 2021; 11:588948. [PMID: 33716840 PMCID: PMC7950321 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.588948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
“Dance” has been associated with many psychophysiological and medical health effects. However, varying definitions of what constitute “dance” have led to a rather heterogenous body of evidence about such potential effects, leaving the picture piecemeal at best. It remains unclear what exact parameters may be driving positive effects. We believe that this heterogeneity of evidence is partly due to a lack of a clear definition of dance for such empirical purposes. A differentiation is needed between (a) the effects on the individual when the activity of “dancing” is enjoyed as a dancer within different dance domains (e.g., professional/”high-art” type of dance, erotic dance, religious dance, club dancing, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), and what is commonly known as hobby, recreational or social dance), and (b) the effects on the individual within these different domains, as a dancer of the different dance styles (solo dance, partnering dance, group dance; and all the different styles within these). Another separate category of dance engagement is, not as a dancer, but as a spectator of all of the above. “Watching dance” as part of an audience has its own set of psychophysiological and neurocognitive effects on the individual, and depends on the context where dance is witnessed. With the help of dance professionals, we first outline some different dance domains and dance styles, and outline aspects that differentiate them, and that may, therefore, cause differential empirical findings when compared regardless (e.g., amount of interpersonal contact, physical exertion, context, cognitive demand, type of movements, complexity of technique and ratio of choreography/improvisation). Then, we outline commonalities between all dance styles. We identify six basic components that are part of any dance practice, as part of a continuum, and review and discuss available research for each of them concerning the possible health and wellbeing effects of each of these components, and how they may relate to the psychophysiological and health effects that are reported for “dancing”: (1) rhythm and music, (2) sociality, (3) technique and fitness, (4) connection and connectedness (self-intimation), (5) flow and mindfulness, (6) aesthetic emotions and imagination. Future research efforts might take into account the important differences between types of dance activities, as well as the six components, for a more targeted assessment of how “dancing” affects the human body.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia F Christensen
- Department for Language and Literature, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | | | | | | | - S H N Yazdi
- 3Fish Corporate Filmmaking, Istanbul, Turkey
| | | | - Khatereh Borhani
- Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Antoni Gomila
- Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Orlandi A, Cross ES, Orgs G. Timing is everything: Dance aesthetics depend on the complexity of movement kinematics. Cognition 2020; 205:104446. [PMID: 32932073 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
What constitutes a beautiful action? Research into dance aesthetics has largely focussed on subjective features like familiarity with the observed movement, but has rarely studied objective features like speed or acceleration. We manipulated the kinematic complexity of observed actions by creating dance sequences that varied in movement timing, but not in movement trajectory. Dance-naïve participants rated the dance videos on speed, effort, reproducibility, and enjoyment. Using linear mixed-effects modeling, we show that faster, more predictable movement sequences with varied velocity profiles are judged to be more effortful, less reproducible, and more aesthetically pleasing than slower sequences with more uniform velocity profiles. Accordingly, dance aesthetics depend not only on which movements are being performed but on how movements are executed and linked into sequences. The aesthetics of movement timing may apply across culturally-specific dance styles and predict both preference for and perceived difficulty of dance, consistent with information theory and effort heuristic accounts of aesthetic appreciation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Orlandi
- Neuro-MI, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Dept. of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Italy; Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy.
| | - Emily S Cross
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, School of Psychology, University of Glasgow, UK; Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Australia
| | - Guido Orgs
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Isik AI, Vessel EA. Continuous ratings of movie watching reveal idiosyncratic dynamics of aesthetic enjoyment. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223896. [PMID: 31652277 PMCID: PMC6814238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual aesthetic experiences unfold over time, yet most of our understanding of such experiences comes from experiments using static visual stimuli and measuring static responses. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of subjective aesthetic experience using temporally extended stimuli (movie clips) in combination with continuous behavioral ratings. Two groups of participants, a rate group (n = 25) and a view group (n = 25), watched 30-second video clips of landscapes and dance performances in test and retest blocks. The rate group reported continuous ratings while watching the videos, with an overall aesthetic judgment at the end of each video, in both test and retest blocks. The view group, however, passively watched the videos in the test block, reporting only an overall aesthetic judgment at the end of each clip. In the retest block, the view group reported both continuous and overall judgments. When comparing the two groups, we found that the task of making continuous ratings did not influence overall ratings or agreement across participants. In addition, the degree of temporal variation in continuous ratings over time differed substantially by observer (from slower “integrators” to “fast responders”), but less so by video. Reliability of continuous ratings across repeated exposures was in general high, but also showed notable variance across participants. Together, these results show that temporally extended stimuli produce aesthetic experiences that are not the same from person to person, and that continuous behavioral ratings provide a reliable window into the temporal dynamics of such aesthetic experiences while not materially altering the experiences themselves.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayse Ilkay Isik
- Neuroscience Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Edward A. Vessel
- Neuroscience Department, Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, Frankfurt, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Teixeira-Machado L, DeSantana JM. Effect of dance on lower-limb range of motion in young people with cerebral palsy: a blinded randomized controlled clinical trial. ADOLESCENT HEALTH MEDICINE AND THERAPEUTICS 2019; 10:21-28. [PMID: 30988649 PMCID: PMC6441460 DOI: 10.2147/ahmt.s177867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Purpose One of the most limiting conditions in cerebral palsy (CP) is the impairment in musculoskeletal mobility. CP may impair the ability to perform efficient movements. The aim of this trial was to investigate the effect of dance on the range of motion (ROM) of lower limbs in young people with CP. Patients and methods the randomized clinical trial consisted of two groups: dance group (DG) and control group (CG). Both of them underwent a 1-hour treatment, twice a week, for 2 months. Sanny® pendulum fleximeter was used to measure ROM in pre- and posttreatment. The applied procedures in both groups were conducted at suitable locations. Twenty-six participants were allocated to these two groups of study. Results In DG, the sampling variances showed improvements in all lower limb joints and axes of movements (P<0.05). In CG, there was increase in passive ROM in some lower limb joints (P≤0.05). Conclusion Physical intervention is imperative to improve ROM. It seems dance practice can contribute to CP corporal mobility in a positive way. Clinical trial number Nº CAAE-06154012.4.0000.0058-12, number 98.993.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Josimari M DeSantana
- Department of Physical Therapy, Graduate Program Physiological Sciences, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, Aracaju, SE, Brasil
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Christensen JF, Lambrechts A, Tsakiris M. The Warburg Dance Movement Library-The WADAMO Library: A Validation Study. Perception 2018; 48:26-57. [PMID: 30558474 DOI: 10.1177/0301006618816631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The Warburg Dance Movement Library is a validated set of 234 video clips of dance movements for empirical research in the fields of cognitive science and neuroscience of action perception, affect perception and neuroaesthetics. The library contains two categories of video clips of dance movement sequences. Of each pair, one version of the movement sequence is emotionally expressive (Clip a), while the other version of the same sequence (Clip b) is not expressive but as technically correct as the expressive version (Clip a). We sought to complement previous dance video stimuli libraries. Facial information, colour and music have been removed, and each clip has been faded in and out. We equalised stimulus length (6 seconds, 8 counts in dance theory), the dancers' clothing and video background and included both male and female dancers, and we controlled for technical correctness of movement execution. The Warburg Dance Movement Library contains both contemporary and ballet movements. Two online surveys ( N = 160) confirmed the classification into the two categories of expressivity. Four additional online surveys ( N = 80) provided beauty and liking ratings for each clip. A correlation matrix illustrates all variables of this norming study (technical correctness, expressivity, beauty, liking, luminance, motion energy).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Lambrechts
- Autism Research Group, Department of Psychology City, University of London, UK
| | - Manos Tsakiris
- The Warburg Institute, University of London, UK; Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Christensen JF. Pleasure junkies all around! Why it matters and why 'the arts' might be the answer: a biopsychological perspective. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2016.2837. [PMID: 28469018 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Today's society is pleasure seeking. We expect to obtain pleasurable experiences fast and easily. We are used to hyper-palatable foods and drinks, and we can get pornography, games and gadgets whenever we want them. THE PROBLEM with this type of pleasure-maximizing choice behaviour we may be turning ourselves into mindless pleasure junkies, handing over our free will for the next dopamine shoot. Pleasure-only activities are fun. In excess, however, such activities might have negative effects on our biopsychological health: they provoke a change in the neural mechanisms underlying choice behaviour. Choice behaviour becomes biased towards short-term pleasure-maximizing goals, just as in the addicted brain (modulated by the amygdala, posterior ventromedial prefrontal cortex' (VMPFC), striatum, nucleus accumbens; 'A-system') and away from long-term prosperity and general well-being maximizing objectives (normally ensured by the insula, anterior VMPFC, hippocampus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC); 'I-system'). This paper outlines, first, what 'pleasure' is and what 'pleasure-only' activities are (e.g. social media engagement, hyper-palatable eating). Second, an account is given of the type of action that might aid to maintain the neural systems underlying choice behaviour balanced. Finally, it is proposed that engagement with the arts might be an activity with the potential to foster healthy choice behaviour-and not be just for pleasure. The evidence in this rather new field of research is still piecemeal and inconclusive. This review aims to motivate targeted research in this domain.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia F Christensen
- Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychology, University of London, London, UK .,Autism Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of London, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Christensen JF, Gomila A. Introduction: Art and the brain: From pleasure to well-being. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2018; 237:xxvii-xlvi. [PMID: 29779754 DOI: 10.1016/s0079-6123(18)30032-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Empirical aesthetics in general, and neuroaesthetics in particular, have been very much influenced by Berlyne's psychobiological program. For him, aesthetic appreciation involved the brain's reward and aversion systems. From this point of view, art constitutes a set of potentially rewarding stimuli. Research has certainly made great advances in understanding how the process of artistic valuation takes places, and which brain circuits are involved in generating the pleasure we obtain from artistic practices, performances, and works. But it also suggests that pleasure is not the only effect of the arts. The evidence rather suggests that the arts have other cognitive and emotional effects which are closely related to human psychobiological health and well-being. These are: (1) attentional focus and flow, (2) affective experience, (3) emotion through imagery, (4) interpersonal communication, (5) self-intimation, and (6) social bonding. These effects are beneficial and contribute to the individual's biopsychological health and well-being. The fact that artistic practice has these effects helps explain why the arts are so important to human life, and why they developed in the first place, i.e., as ways to foster these effects. Therefore, a biopsychological science of the arts is emerging, according to which the arts can be conceptualized as an important system of external self-regulation, as a set of activities that contribute to our homeostasis and well-being.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia F Christensen
- BIAS Team (Prof. Manos Tsakiris), The Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Antoni Gomila
- Ed. Beatriu de Pinós, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Christensen JF, Cela-Conde CJ, Gomila A. Not all about sex: neural and biobehavioral functions of human dance. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2017; 1400:8-32. [PMID: 28787539 DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Revised: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 05/31/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
This paper provides an integrative review of neuroscientific and biobehavioral evidence about the effects of dance on the individual across cultural differences. Dance moves us, and many derive aesthetic pleasure from it. However, in addition-and beyond aesthetics-we propose that dance has noteworthy, deeper neurobiological effects. We first summarize evidence that illustrates the centrality of dance to human life indirectly from archaeology, comparative psychology, developmental psychology, and cross-cultural psychology. Second, we review empirical evidence for six neural and biobehavioral functions of dance: (1) attentional focus/flow, (2) basic emotional experiences, (3) imagery, (4) communication, (5) self-intimation, and (6) social cohesion. We discuss the reviewed evidence in relation to current debates in the field of empirical enquiry into the functions of human dance, questioning the positions that dance is (1) just for pleasure, (2) all about sex, (3) just for mood management and well-being, and (4) for experts only. Being a young field, evidence is still piecemeal and inconclusive. This review aims to take a step toward a systematization of an emerging avenue of research: a neuro- and biobehavioral science of dance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julia F Christensen
- Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit, Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Social Sciences, City, University of London, London, United Kingdom.,Autism Research Group, Department of Psychology, City, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Camilo José Cela-Conde
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California
| | - Antoni Gomila
- Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| |
Collapse
|