Improvising on Emotion Terms: Students’ Strategies, Emotional Communication, and Aesthetic Value

Journal of Research in Music Education ◽

10.1177/00224294211044676 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002242942110446

Author(s):

Erkki Huovinen ◽

Aaro Keipi

Keyword(s):

Emotional Expressivity ◽

Emotional Communication ◽

Thought Processes ◽

Verbal Protocols ◽

Aesthetic Value ◽

Free Communication ◽

Art Form ◽

College Music ◽

Communicative Success ◽

Expert Ratings

Studies in musical improvisation show that musicians and even children are able to communicate intended emotions to listeners at will. To understand emotional expressivity in music as an art form, communicative success needs to be related to improvisers’ thought processes and listeners’ aesthetic judgments. In the present study, we used retrospective verbal protocols to address college music students’ strategies in improvisations based on emotion terms. We also subjected their improvisations to expert ratings in terms of heard emotional content and aesthetic value. A qualitative analysis showed that improvisers used both generative strategies (expressible in intramusical terms) and imaginative, extramusical strategies when approaching the improvisation tasks. The clarity of emotional communication was found to be high overall, and linear mixed-effects models showed that it was supported by generative approaches. However, perceived aesthetic value was unrelated to such emotional clarity. Instead, aesthetic value was associated with emotional complexity, here defined as the heard presence of “nonintended” emotions. The results point toward a view according to which the expressive content of improvisation gets specified and personalized during the very act of improvisation itself. Arguably, musical expressivity in improvisation should not be equated with the error-free communication of previously intended emotional categories.

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Music and Attention, Executive Function, and Creativity

The Oxford Handbook of Music and the Brain ◽

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198804123.013.12 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 262-284 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Psyche Loui ◽

Rachel E. Guetta

Keyword(s):

Executive Functions ◽

Musical Training ◽

Thought Processes ◽

Conflict Monitoring ◽

Far Transfer ◽

Monitoring Task ◽

Art Form ◽

Creative Art ◽

Research Questions

This chapter provides an overview of research at the intersection of music and cognitive functions. Music, an intrinsically creative art form, requires bottom-up and top-down perceptual processing, attention, and integration of executive functions. Literature on music and attention spans debates on selection theories, and the role of temporal attention and neuronal entrainment. Attention is a subset of executive functioning, goal-directed processes including conflict monitoring, task switching, and working memory. Considerable research has addressed the effects of musical training on executive functions, with contrasting reports of success in far transfer. Finally, contrary to goal-directed processes, creativity entails unconstrained thought processes that yield novel output. Perhaps due to the unrestricted nature of both music and creativity, the relevant research has also been variable. Considering these seemingly disparate aspects of cognitive function in tandem can inspire new and interesting research questions, promoting a more cohesive conceptualization of music within cognitive science more generally.

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Aesthetics of Graffiti: Comparison to Text-Based and Pictorial Artforms

Empirical Studies of the Arts ◽

10.1177/0276237420951415 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 027623742095141

Author(s):

Rebecca Chamberlain ◽

Caitlin Mullin ◽

Daniel Berio ◽

Frederic Fol Leymarie ◽

Johan Wagemans

Keyword(s):

Visual Art ◽

Empirical Work ◽

Global Structure ◽

Statistical Properties ◽

Aesthetic Value ◽

Image Statistics ◽

Fine Detail ◽

Art Form ◽

Controversial Art

Graffiti art is a controversial art form, and as such there has been little empirical work assessing its aesthetic value. A recent study examined image statistical properties of text-based artwork and revealed that images of text contain less global structure relative to fine detail compared to artworks. However, previous research did not include graffiti tags or murals, which reside in the space between text and visual art. The current study investigated the image statistical properties and attractiveness of graffiti relative to other text-based and pictorial art forms, focusing additionally on the role of expertise. A series of images (N = 140; graffiti, text and paintings) were presented to a group of observers with varying degrees of art interest and expertise ( N = 169). Findings revealed that image statistics predicted attractiveness ratings to images, and that biases against graffiti art are less salient in an expert sample.

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L.S. Vygotsky On Psychological Properties of Art Form Organization

Journal of Flm Arts and Film Studies ◽

10.17816/vgik7284-96 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 84-96

Author(s):

Alexander Vyacheslavovich Sveshnikov

Keyword(s):

Aesthetic Experience ◽

Value Systems ◽

Aesthetic Value ◽

Essential Requirement ◽

Psychological Phenomena ◽

Psychological Mechanisms ◽

Art Form ◽

Current Article ◽

Evaluation Approaches ◽

Aesthetic Values

The article discusses central concepts of artistic perception and creativity theory as presented in L.S. Vygotskys treatise The Psychology of art which focuses primarily on artistic feeling and catharsis as distinct psychological phenomena. Unlike a widely accepted view, Vygotskys work shows that form and content in art do not necessarily need to correspond. The perceptual conflict staged by contradictory relationship between the original artistic premises within these two categories is an essential requirement for, and is resolved by, the resulting integrated aesthetic experience. Based on Vygotskys reasoning, the current article suggests a set of criteria that identify the main characteristics of the compositional organization of a piece of art. The psychological aspects of artistic perception described by Vygotsky argue for objective existence of aesthetic values. Vygotskys reasoning emphasizes true aesthetic value of a piece of art and thus provides the foundation for sound argumentation against evaluation approaches based mainly on its worth on the collectors market. This article highlights the parts of his theory that describe the psychological patterns used to resolve perceptive inconsistencies and harmonize personal value systems. The concepts discussed in Vygotskys works, in particular his theory of catharsis, reveal deep psychological mechanisms of artistic perception. Such mechanisms reflect the organisational complexity of an art form which may at first glance seem to only be a means of pleasure and entertainment.

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The Artistic Features of Indian Films*-Taking “3 Idiots” as an Example

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/202123604053 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 236 ◽

pp. 04053

Author(s):

Zihan Qu ◽

Yu Liu ◽

Han Mao

Keyword(s):

Critical Thinking ◽

Social Problems ◽

Narrative Structure ◽

Time And Space ◽

Aesthetic Value ◽

Regional Characteristics ◽

Art Form ◽

The Social ◽

High Level ◽

Viewing Experience

As one of the masterpieces of Indian movies, “3 Idiots” uses its unique comedic art to point out social problems and reflect critical thinking from the outside to the inside. At the same time, it repeatedly uses story conflicts to strengthen the expression of the film’s core ideas. The plot combines a high-level singing and dancing art form with regional characteristics through a two-line narrative structure of time and space. The connotation and expression of the film complement each other, strengthen the viewing experience, and deepen the social and aesthetic value of the film.

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Muzealizacija bez muzeologije: nacionalni muzeji i izložbe mode između istorije, teorije i prakse

Issues in Ethnology and Anthropology ◽

10.21301/eap.v10i4.7 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

pp. 915

Author(s):

Stefan Žarić

Keyword(s):

Cultural Production ◽

Aesthetic Value ◽

Culture Studies ◽

Fashion Studies ◽

Art Form ◽

History Of ◽

National Museums ◽

The Aesthetic ◽

The One ◽

Fashion Exhibitions

Studies of the theory and history of fashion, which were up until recently grouped with culture studies, gender studies, communicology, art history and anthropology are, on the academic map of the 21st century being established as separate disciplines. Consolidating these contexts, the affirmation of fashion studies has been most prevalent within the museology of fashion, as it - or rather – fashion museology is becoming one of the leading tendencies within contemporary museum practices. This paper views fashion as a specific kind of system, coded through sociocultural codes, and finds the reason for the ever-increasing number of exhibitions of fashion on the international as well as the national museum scene in the codes of fashion which oscillate between the aesthetic and the commercial. By affirming fashion as an art form on the one hand and increasing the profitability of the institution on the other, fashion exhibitions enable museums to become „fashionable“ – to keep up with contemporary, more liberal exhibition concepts. Despite the fact that in this year there have been a large number of fashion exhibitions in national museums, fashion is still without its own museology, a scientific theory which would explain it as a museum phenomenon. The exhibits are interpreted historically, while explaining their utilitarian and aesthetic value, while the question of why fashion is exhibited as an art form or a kind of cultural production to the consumer of the exhibition - the visitor – remains unanswered. By analyzing historical events which conditioned the museum exhibiting of fashion as well as the different conceptions of its exhibition, the author strives to – through the juxtaposition of international and national exhibitions catch sight of the causes of the lack of a museology of fashion, and open up the issue of its affirmation within the professional academic and museum community of Serbia.

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Concurrent Verbal Protocol Analysis in Sport: Illustration of Thought Processes During a Golf-Putting Task

Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology ◽

10.1123/jcsp.5.3.223 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 5 (3) ◽

pp. 223-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Luis Calmeiro ◽

Gershon Tenenbaum

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Processes ◽

Inductive Method ◽

Thought Processes ◽

Verbal Protocols ◽

Verbal Protocol Analysis ◽

Thinking Aloud ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Golf Putting ◽

Domain Specific Knowledge ◽

On Line

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of concurrent verbal protocols to identify and map thought processes of players during a golf-putting task. Three novice golfers and three experienced golfers performed twenty 12-foot putts while thinking aloud. Verbalizations were transcribed verbatim and coded using an inductive method. Content analysis and event-sequence analysis were performed. Mapping of thought sequences indicated that experienced players’ cognitive processes centered on gathering information and planning, while beginners focused on technical aspects. Experienced players diagnosed current performance aspects more often than beginners did and were more likely to use this information to plan the next putt. These results are consistent with experienced players’ higher domain-specific knowledge and less reliance on step-by-step monitoring of motor performance than beginners. The methods used for recording, analyzing, and interpreting on-line thoughts of performers shed light on cognitive processes, which have implications for research.

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Why Can’t I Stop Thinking About It?

Swiss Journal of Psychology ◽

10.1024/1421-0185/a000150 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 74 (2) ◽

pp. 75-82 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Monique C. Pfaltz ◽

Beatrice Mörstedt ◽

Andrea H. Meyer ◽

Frank H. Wilhelm ◽

Joe Kossowsky ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thought Suppression ◽

Positive Association ◽

Repetitive Behaviors ◽

Thought Processes ◽

Obsessive Compulsive ◽

Vulnerability Factor ◽

Compulsive Disorder ◽

Order Factor ◽

Maladaptive Thought ◽

Severe Anxiety

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe anxiety disorder characterized by frequent obsessive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Neuroticism is a vulnerability factor for OCD, yet the mechanisms by which this general vulnerability factor affects the development of OCD-related symptoms are unknown. The present study assessed a hierarchical model of the development of obsessive thoughts that includes neuroticism as a general, higher-order factor, and specific, potentially maladaptive thought processes (thought suppression, worry, and brooding) as second-order factors manifesting in the tendency toward obsessing. A total of 238 participants completed questionnaires assessing the examined constructs. The results of mediator analyses demonstrated the hypothesized relationships: A positive association between neuroticism and obsessing was mediated by thought suppression, worry, and brooding. Independent of the participant’s sex, all three mediators contributed equally and substantially to the association between neuroticism and obsessing. These findings extend earlier research on hierarchical models of anxiety and provide a basis for further refinement of models of the development of obsessive thoughts.

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