Intersection of reality and fiction in art perception: pictorial space, body sway and mental imagery.

Joanna Ganczarek,D Nardi,V Ruggieri,M Olivetti Belardinelli

doi:10.1007/s10339-015-0702-0

Joanna Ganczarek, D Nardi + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-015-0702-0

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Abstract

BackgroundThe thesis of embodied cognition claims that perception of the environment entails a complex set of multisensory processes which forms a basis for the agent’s potential and immediate actions. However, in the case of artworks, an agent becomes an observer and action turns into a reaction. This raises questions about the presence of embodied or situated cognition involved in art reception.AimsThe study aimed to assess the bodily correlates of perceiving fictional pictorial spaces in the absence of a possibility of an actual physical immersion or manipulation of represented forms.MethodThe subjects were presented with paintings by Vermeer and De Hooch, whilst their body sway and eye movements were recorded. Moreover, test and questionnaires on mental imagery (MRT, VVIQ and OSIQ) were administered.ResultsThree major results were obtained: (1) the degree of pictorial depth did not influence body sway; (2) fixations to distant elements in paintings (i.e. backgrounds) were accompanied by an increase in body sway; and (3) mental rotation test scores correlated positively with body sway.ConclusionsOur results suggest that in certain cases—despite the fictional character of art—observers’ reactions resemble reactions to real stimuli. It is proposed that these reactions are mediated by mental imagery (e.g. mental rotation) that contributes to the act of representing alternative to real artistic spaces.

Highlights

The thesis of embodied cognition claims that perception of the environment entails a complex set of multisensory processes which forms a basis for the agent’s potential and immediate actions
Reactions are mediated by mental imagery that contributes to the act of representing alternative to real artistic spaces
In the field of experimental aesthetics, it has been proposed that the illusion of distance created with the use of static pictorial depth cues might lead to an increase in body sway (Kapoula et al 2011)

Summary

Introduction

The thesis of embodied cognition claims that perception of the environment entails a complex set of multisensory processes which forms a basis for the agent’s potential and immediate actions. In the case of artworks, an agent becomes an observer and action turns into a reaction. This raises questions about the presence of embodied or situated cognition involved in art reception. Aims The study aimed to assess the bodily correlates of perceiving fictional pictorial spaces in the absence of a possibility of an actual physical immersion or manipulation of represented forms. Method The subjects were presented with paintings by Vermeer and De Hooch, whilst their body sway and eye movements were recorded. Test and questionnaires on mental imagery (MRT, VVIQ and OSIQ) were administered

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Conclusion