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Welter M, Lotte F. Ecological decoding of visual aesthetic preference with oscillatory electroencephalogram features-A mini-review. FRONTIERS IN NEUROERGONOMICS 2024; 5:1341790. [PMID: 38450005 PMCID: PMC10914990 DOI: 10.3389/fnrgo.2024.1341790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
In today's digital information age, human exposure to visual artifacts has reached an unprecedented quasi-omnipresence. Some of these cultural artifacts are elevated to the status of artworks which indicates a special appreciation of these objects. For many persons, the perception of such artworks coincides with aesthetic experiences (AE) that can positively affect health and wellbeing. AEs are composed of complex cognitive and affective mental and physiological states. More profound scientific understanding of the neural dynamics behind AEs would allow the development of passive Brain-Computer-Interfaces (BCI) that offer personalized art presentation to improve AE without the necessity of explicit user feedback. However, previous empirical research in visual neuroaesthetics predominantly investigated functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Event-Related-Potentials correlates of AE in unnaturalistic laboratory conditions which might not be the best features for practical neuroaesthetic BCIs. Furthermore, AE has, until recently, largely been framed as the experience of beauty or pleasantness. Yet, these concepts do not encompass all types of AE. Thus, the scope of these concepts is too narrow to allow personalized and optimal art experience across individuals and cultures. This narrative mini-review summarizes the state-of-the-art in oscillatory Electroencephalography (EEG) based visual neuroaesthetics and paints a road map toward the development of ecologically valid neuroaesthetic passive BCI systems that could optimize AEs, as well as their beneficial consequences. We detail reported oscillatory EEG correlates of AEs, as well as machine learning approaches to classify AE. We also highlight current limitations in neuroaesthetics and suggest future directions to improve EEG decoding of AE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Welter
- Inria Center at the University of Bordeaux/LaBRI, Talence, France
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Carbon CC. About the Need for a More Adequate Way to Get an Understanding of the Experiencing of Aesthetic Items. Behav Sci (Basel) 2023; 13:907. [PMID: 37998654 PMCID: PMC10669559 DOI: 10.3390/bs13110907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 11/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
We live in times when neuroscientific methods have become standard methods that many researchers can easily use. While this offers excellent opportunities to understand brain activities linked with aesthetic processing, we face the problem of using sophisticated techniques without a proper and valid theoretical foundation of aesthetics. A further problem arises from sophisticated methods often demanding strict constraints in presenting and experiencing aesthetic stimuli. However, when experiencing aesthetic items, contextual factors matter, e.g., social and situational affordances are essential in triggering a true and deep "Kunsterlebnis" (Experience of Art). Additionally, in Art, it is often not the artwork as an object that matters but the close relationship with and the processing of the artwork. However, art is only one facet of the whole aesthetic domain, beside, e.g., design, architecture, everyday aesthetics, dance, literature, music, and opera. In the present paper, I propose a dynamic and holistic aesthetic perspective that includes the respective context, situation, cognitive and affective traits and state of the beholder, ongoing processes of understanding, Zeitgeist, and other cultural factors, which can be applied to different aesthetic domains. When ignoring such temporal and dynamic factors, we will not understand the qualia of aesthetic processing. These considerations might help researchers in the field of aesthetics to better understand the experiencing of aesthetic items of all kinds-if we ignore these factors, we are missing the essence of experiencing aesthetic items, especially artworks. We aim to sensitize and inform readers about these ideas to inspire a deeper understanding of experiencing aesthetic items and the advancement of a theoretical framework addressing the experiencing of aesthetics from different domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, 96047 Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany; ; Tel.: +49-951-863-1860
- Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Aesthetics, Gestalt), 96047 Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany
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Giorgi A, Menicocci S, Forte M, Ferrara V, Mingione M, Alaimo Di Loro P, Inguscio BMS, Ferrara S, Babiloni F, Vozzi A, Ronca V, Cartocci G. Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13040635. [PMID: 37190600 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13040635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Art experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance is also placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums and galleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality (VR) in museum contexts has been increasing. This has solicited enormous research interest in investigating any eventual differences between looking at the same artifact either in a real context (e.g. a museum) and in VR. To address such a target, a neuroaesthetic study was performed in which electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate and skin conductance) were recorded during the observation of the Etruscan artifact "Sarcophagus of the Spouses", both in the museum and in a VR reproduction. Results from EEG analysis showed a higher level of the Workload Index during observation in the museum compared to VR (p = 0.04), while the Approach-Withdrawal Index highlighted increased levels during the observation in VR compared to the observation in the museum (p = 0.03). Concerning autonomic indices, the museum elicited a higher Emotional Index response than the VR (p = 0.03). Overall, preliminary results suggest a higher engagement potential of the museum compared to VR, although VR could also favour higher embodiment than the museum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Giorgi
- Unit of Histology and Medical Embryology, SAIMLAL Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Menicocci
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Forte
- Department of Classical Studies, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Vincenza Ferrara
- Art and Medical Humanities Lab, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Mingione
- Department of Political Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00145 Rome, Italy
| | - Pierfrancesco Alaimo Di Loro
- Department of Law, Economics, Politics and Modern Languages, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (LUMSA), 00192 Rome, Italy
| | - Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | | | - Fabio Babiloni
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou 310018, China
| | - Alessia Vozzi
- Unit of Histology and Medical Embryology, SAIMLAL Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Ronca
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering "Antonio Ruberti", Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Giulia Cartocci
- BrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, Italy
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Chiarella SG, Torromino G, Gagliardi DM, Rossi D, Babiloni F, Cartocci G. Investigating the negative bias towards artificial intelligence: Effects of prior assignment of AI-authorship on the aesthetic appreciation of abstract paintings. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Similarity of gaze patterns across physical and virtual versions of an installation artwork. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18913. [PMID: 34556675 PMCID: PMC8460659 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91904-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
An experiment was conducted to compare museum visitors' gaze patterns using mobile eye-trackers, whilst they were engaging with a physical and a virtual reality (VR) installation of Piet Mondrian's Neo-plasticist room design. Visitors' eye movements produced approximately 25,000 fixations and were analysed using linear mixed-effects models. Absolute and area-normalized dwell time analyses yielded mostly non-significant main effects of the environment, indicating similarity of visual exploration patterns between physical and VR settings. One major difference observed was the decrease of average fixation duration in VR, where visitors tended to more rapidly switch focus in this environment with shorter bursts of attentional focus. The experiment demonstrated the ability to compare gaze data between physical and virtual environments as a proxy to measure the similarity of aesthetic experience. Similarity of viewing patterns along with questionnaire results suggested that virtual galleries can be treated as ecologically valid environments that are parallel to physical art galleries.
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Song J, Kwak Y, Kim CY. Familiarity and Novelty in Aesthetic Preference: The Effects of the Properties of the Artwork and the Beholder. Front Psychol 2021; 12:694927. [PMID: 34367021 PMCID: PMC8345014 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.694927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Familiarity and novelty are fundamental yet competing factors influencing aesthetic preference. However, whether people prefer familiar paintings or novel paintings has not been clear. Using both behavioral and eye-tracking measures, the present study aimed to investigate whether the effect of familiarity-novelty on aesthetic preference is independent or dependent on artwork properties (painting content, visual complexity) and viewer characteristics (experience in art). Participants were presented with two images of paintings, one of which was repeatedly presented but was always paired with a new painting in a randomized lateral arrangement. They were asked to indicate which of the two images they preferred with the degree of their preference. Behavioral results demonstrated an interactive influence of painting content and complexity on familiarity-novelty preference, especially alongside the distinction between representational and abstract paintings. Also, the familiarity-novelty preference was modulated by the degree of art experience, for abstract paintings in particular. Gaze results showed the differential effects of painting content, complexity, and art experience echoing the behavioral results. Taken together, the convergent results derived from behavioral and eye-tracking measures imply that novelty is an important feature of aesthetic appreciation, but its influence is modulated by properties of both the artwork and the beholder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiwon Song
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Yuna Kwak
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Chai-Youn Kim
- School of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
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