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Getting a Grip on Neuroaesthetics: An interdisciplinary fMRI study of pleasure and affect in poetryCody MejeurDepartment of EnglishMichigan State [email protected]@cmejeur
Dr. Natalie PhillipsDigital Humanities and Literary Cognition Lab (DHLC)Department of EnglishMichigan State University
Neuroaesthetics of PoetryPart of global collaboration through New
York UniversityNeuroscience of beauty in artFocus on poetry
Haiku at NYU, Sonnets at MSUOther institutions working on Music,
Dance, etc.What are the neural networks/cognitive
processes involved with aesthetics, finding art beautiful?Affective judgment, but not a study of
particular affect
Initial DifficultiesHow does one adequately define
“aesthetics”, let alone isolate it for study?Accounting without being reductiveAllowing flexibility while also being
rigorousHow to make the question testable?
Doable in a MRI scanner?How to get at initial impressions in the
moment?Avoid delays/shifts in timeGet past reliance on self-reporting after
the fact
Focus on “Aesthetic Pleasure/Displeasure”Defined as the
feeling of liking or disliking, in this case a part of a poem
Aesthetic judgmentStill a difficulty: how
to measure and test this?
Solution: HighlightingDone digitallyMRI-compatible
joystick or trackball mouse
ControlsSonnets
20th centuryAll in EnglishNot overly
familiarParticipants
English MajorsUndergraduates
Different packets/sonnet orders
Training for highlighting
Overview of Study ProcedureStep 1: Preliminary
QuestionnairesStep 2: Read
sonnets, FamiliarizeStep 3: Reread
sonnets, HighlightStep 4: Longer
answer, answer questions on sonnets from memory
Step 5: Optional Oral Interview
Step 1: QuestionnairesPANAS (Positive
and Negative Affect Schedule) Before
Two AfterBAIS (Bucknell
Auditory and Imagery Scale)
VVIQ (Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire)
Step 3: Highlighting and Short Answer Participants are asked to
rate each sonnet on a 1 to 10 scale in five different categories.
How vivid is the imagery in this category?
How positive or negative do you think the topic or theme of this sonnet is?
How would you characterize your feelings while reading this sonnet?
How strong (e.g. intense) were the feelings you had while reading this sonnet?
How aesthetically pleasing (e.g. pleasing, powerful, or profound) did you find this sonnet?
Step 4: Long AnswerAnswer longer
questions from memory
Not remembering a sonnet is an optionValuable data!
Compiled Highlighting: Mapping Experiences
Some Preliminary FindingsWorried that participants would just mark
pleasure/displeasure according to positive/negative words–not the case!
Strongest correlation between aesthetic pleasure and strength of feelingNot vividness, positive/negative feeling,
etc.Highlighted moments are most commonly
metaphors/figurative languagePleasurable when they help understand
or present unconventional understandingDispleasurable when they are
cliche/unoriginal
Next Steps
Still collecting data21 Participants so far, aiming for 30
Publishing preliminary findingsCondensing StudyTransport study into MRI Scanner
MRI-compatible technology
Lessons Learned/SuggestionsRigorous study of abstract Humanities
ideas and questions is possible!Interdisciplinary collaboration. Multiple
perspectivesNeed right toolsNeed flexibilityAvoid being reductive
Need studies that are more fluid, dynamicAdapts to the participant, rather than
forcing the participant to adapt
Questions?
Cody MejeurDepartment of EnglishMichigan State [email protected]@cmejeur
Acknowledgments:Dr. Natalie PhillipsLab Leads Lana Grasser, Karah Smith,
Lauren StraleyResearchers Sal Antonucci, Jacob Frazier