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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.
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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
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2
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Vukadinović MS. The dance of hair - toward a more powerful performance. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1214861. [PMID: 37674748 PMCID: PMC10477601 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1214861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023] Open
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Smith RA, Cross ES. The McNorm library: creating and validating a new library of emotionally expressive whole body dance movements. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2023; 87:484-508. [PMID: 35385989 PMCID: PMC8985749 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-022-01669-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The ability to exchange affective cues with others plays a key role in our ability to create and maintain meaningful social relationships. We express our emotions through a variety of socially salient cues, including facial expressions, the voice, and body movement. While significant advances have been made in our understanding of verbal and facial communication, to date, understanding of the role played by human body movement in our social interactions remains incomplete. To this end, here we describe the creation and validation of a new set of emotionally expressive whole-body dance movement stimuli, named the Motion Capture Norming (McNorm) Library, which was designed to reconcile a number of limitations associated with previous movement stimuli. This library comprises a series of point-light representations of a dancer's movements, which were performed to communicate to observers neutrality, happiness, sadness, anger, and fear. Based on results from two validation experiments, participants could reliably discriminate the intended emotion expressed in the clips in this stimulus set, with accuracy rates up to 60% (chance = 20%). We further explored the impact of dance experience and trait empathy on emotion recognition and found that neither significantly impacted emotion discrimination. As all materials for presenting and analysing this movement library are openly available, we hope this resource will aid other researchers in further exploration of affective communication expressed by human bodily movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A. Smith
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Emily S. Cross
- Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland ,Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
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Abstract
While many studies have examined the auditory abilities of musicians, this study uniquely asks whether dance training, a similar yet understudied type of early-life training, also benefits auditory abilities. We focused this investigation on temporal resolution, given the importance of subtle temporal cues in synchronizing movement. We found that, compared to untrained controls, novice adult dancers who have trained continuously since childhood had enhanced temporal resolution, measured with a gap detection task. In an analysis involving current and former dancers, total years of training was a significant predictor of temporal resolution thresholds. The association between dance experience and improved auditory skills has implications for current theories of experience-dependent auditory plasticity and the design of sound-based educational and rehabilitation activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erika Skoe
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States
| | - Erica V Scarpati
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, United States
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5
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Bläsing B, Zimmermann E. Dance Is More Than Meets the Eye-How Can Dance Performance Be Made Accessible for a Non-sighted Audience? Front Psychol 2021; 12:643848. [PMID: 33935898 PMCID: PMC8085341 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Dance is regarded as visual art form by common arts and science perspectives. Definitions of dance as means of communication agree that its message is conveyed by the dancer/choreographer via the human body for the observer, leaving no doubt that dance is performed to be watched. Brain activation elicited by the visual perception of dance has also become a topic of interest in cognitive neuroscience, with regards to action observation in the context of learning, expertise and aesthetics. The view that the aesthetic experience of dance is primarily a visual one is still shared by many artists and cultural institutions, yet there is growing interest in making dance performances accessible for individuals with visual impairment / blindness. Means of supporting the non-visual experience of dance include verbal (audio description), auditive (choreographed body sounds, movement sonification), and haptic (touch tour) techniques, applied for different purposes by artists and researchers, with three main objectives: to strengthen the cultural participation of a non-sighted audience in the cultural and aesthetic experience of dance; to expand the scope of dance as an artistic research laboratory toward novel ways of perceiving what dance can convey; and to inspire new lines of (neuro-cognitive) research beyond watching dance. Reviewing literature from different disciplines and drawing on the personal experience of an inclusive performance of Simon Mayer's "Sons of Sissy," we argue that a non-exclusively visual approach can be enriching and promising for all three perspectives and conclude by proposing hypotheses for multidisciplinary lines of research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Bläsing
- Fakultät Rehabilitationswissenschaften, Musik und Bewegung in Rehabilitation und Pädagogik bei Behinderung, Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany.,Fakultät für Psychologie und Sportwissenschaft, Neurokognition und Bewegung-Biomechnanik, Universität Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Esther Zimmermann
- Institut für Lehrerinnenbildung, Inklusive Pädagogik, Universität Wien, Wien, Austria
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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Vaccaro MG, Izzo G, Ilacqua A, Migliaccio S, Baldari C, Guidetti L, Lenzi A, Quattrone A, Aversa A, Emerenziani GP. Characterization of the Effects of a Six-Month Dancing as Approach for Successful Aging. Int J Endocrinol 2019; 2019:2048391. [PMID: 31316562 PMCID: PMC6601485 DOI: 10.1155/2019/2048391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging is accompanied by a decline in multiple domains. Positive effects of dance practice on several health issues have been evaluated in young adults, while the effects of regular social dance practice on physical fitness, sexual health, and cognitive functions have not been studied yet in older experienced dancers. Thus, the aim of this study has been to investigate whether a 6-month social dance practice might influence fitness performance, sexual health, and specific cognitive functions and/or mood characteristics in older experienced dancers. Thirty experienced dancers (age: 71.2±5.1 years, 18 females/12 males) were enrolled from the dance school "NonSoloLiscio" of Catanzaro. Body composition, physical fitness, sexual health, and cognitive functions were assessed before (T0) and after (T6) intervention. After 6 months of dance practice, percent of fat mass (%FM) significantly decreased (p<0.01), while fat-free mass (FFM) significantly increased (p<0.01) in both genders. Moreover, significant main effects of time on physical fitness tests, such as chair stand test (CST) (p<0.01), gait speed (p<0.05), and timed up and go (p<0.05), were found. Sexual health was significantly higher in males than in females at T0 and no significant effects of dance on subjects' sexual health were found. Interestingly, trait of anxiety significant decreased (p<0.05) and perception of retrospective memory significantly increased (p=0.05) after training independently of gender. Our preliminary results suggest that, even in older intermediate-level dancer, the practice of social dance might positively influence body composition and also increase fitness performance, memory functions, and anxiety. In contrast, no effects on sexual health were observed after 6 months of dancing.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Giulia Izzo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Alessandro Ilacqua
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, “Foro Italico” University, Rome, Italy
| | - Silvia Migliaccio
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, “Foro Italico” University, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Laura Guidetti
- Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, “Foro Italico” University, Rome, Italy
| | - Andrea Lenzi
- Department of Experimental Medicine, “Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy
| | - Aldo Quattrone
- Neuroscience Centre, “Magna Graecia” University, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Antonio Aversa
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Catanzaro, Italy
| | - Gian Pietro Emerenziani
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, “Magna Graecia” University, Catanzaro, Italy
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Vicary S, Sperling M, von Zimmermann J, Richardson DC, Orgs G. Joint action aesthetics. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0180101. [PMID: 28742849 PMCID: PMC5526561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0180101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Synchronized movement is a ubiquitous feature of dance and music performance. Much research into the evolutionary origins of these cultural practices has focused on why humans perform rather than watch or listen to dance and music. In this study, we show that movement synchrony among a group of performers predicts the aesthetic appreciation of live dance performances. We developed a choreography that continuously manipulated group synchronization using a defined movement vocabulary based on arm swinging, walking and running. The choreography was performed live to four audiences, as we continuously tracked the performers' movements, and the spectators' affective responses. We computed dynamic synchrony among performers using cross recurrence analysis of data from wrist accelerometers, and implicit measures of arousal from spectators' heart rates. Additionally, a subset of spectators provided continuous ratings of enjoyment and perceived synchrony using tablet computers. Granger causality analyses demonstrate predictive relationships between synchrony, enjoyment ratings and spectator arousal, if audiences form a collectively consistent positive or negative aesthetic evaluation. Controlling for the influence of overall movement acceleration and visual change, we show that dance communicates group coordination via coupled movement dynamics among a group of performers. Our findings are in line with an evolutionary function of dance-and perhaps all performing arts-in transmitting social signals between groups of people. Human movement is the common denominator of dance, music and theatre. Acknowledging the time-sensitive and immediate nature of the performer-spectator relationship, our study makes a significant step towards an aesthetics of joint actions in the performing arts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Staci Vicary
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
- School of Social Sciences and Psychology, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Jorina von Zimmermann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel C. Richardson
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Guido Orgs
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom
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