Cognitive Processes in Fashion Design

This chapter is concerned with the teaching and learning of modelling in fashion design courses. Following a series of observations, it was found that fashion design students, with normal sight, have difficulties in fully understanding how an item of clothing can be transposed to a modelling display bust, which represents the body of the wearer. The same obstacle affects visually-handicapped students. This study seeks to explore ways of overcoming this problem. It involves seeking to introduce features into teaching that can allow a comprehensive learning program to be taught and in particular, to concentrate on certain key factors - cognition, constancy and abstraction - with regard to the information on fashion projects that can be found in the surrounding learning environment.

Conceptual Experiments in Automated Designing

The success of designing Software Intensive Systems (SIS) and other objects may be improved by incorporating conceptual experimentation to be part of the design process. This paper presents a scientific approach to conceptual experimenting with objects that are units of designers' behavior and is aimed at solving project tasks in conceptual design. The proposed approach is based on specifying the behavior units as precedents and pseudo-code programming of experiments' plans. Reasoning used by designers in the experiments is registered in a question-answer form. Experimenting is supported by a specialized toolkit.

Neuroaesthetics

The aesthetic experience has been discussed throughout the history of mankind by philosophers and art historians, becoming a universal part of human experience, which leads us to some great interdisciplinary questions. It has been the subject of study by neuroscientists and neuro-psychologists since the 2000s. This recent evolution of neurology studies in the field of art, is due to in vivo brain imaging techniques, especially functional neuroimaging. Furthermore, recent research has provided evidence of cognitive interaction during the perception of an artwork indicating that the perceptual experience of art is not merely a passive one. This article reviews important studies in neuroaesthectics of visual art that point out that the aesthetic experience is related to the distribution in the neural architecture, suggesting the involvement of sensory-motor areas, emotional centers, reward system, memory and language.

Inside/Out

Technologies, for memory preservation and enhancement of our humane bodies, are developing at a fast pace, and the corresponding dystopic and utopic future scenarios are presented in speculative news reports, science research studies and popular culture such as science fiction films. Lopes' artistic/research projects explore ways of expanding concepts of memory, body, and representation/mediation, using art as a tool to enhance public awareness of several anxieties and technologies, raising ethical dilemmas and questioning norms of behavior and normality. This chapter is an exploration of the issues raised on the development of several artwork projects during the course of the author's PhD and present Postdoc research, when in residency at several Medical and Scientific Research Institutes, dealing with distinct studies on memory (functioning, loss and enhancement).

Can We Induce a Cognitive Representation of a Prosthetic Arm by Means of Crossmodal Stimuli?

The ownership feeling of our body occurs mainly due to feedback responses in real-time from environment stimuli to our own body. These constant feedbacks induce a neuronal arrangement, generating a representative map and, consequently, an ownership and unity feeling, named as a body schema. Although there is a relative well knowing of the sensorial mapping about each part of our body, there are still several gaps about how the integration of all this representation is indeed accomplished. Many researchers have shown high rates of prosthesis non-acceptance due to different reasons. Here, the authors discuss an experimental protocol to induce optimally the ownership feeling associated with upper limb prosthesis, by means of a crossmodal vibro-tactile stimulation over the individual's body. The main hypothesis is that through this procedure the participant will extend their proprioception and achieve an ownership feeling of the prosthesis.

A Study on the Interface between Arts and Sciences

This chapter discusses issues related to two fields of knowledge: neuroesthetics and cognitive neuroscience of art. These two fields represent areas that link historically dichotomic instances: nature and culture. In the first section, the author introduces a brief discussion on this dichotomy, reified here as science and art/aesthetics. Based on a preliminary analysis of these fields, as well as potential interfaces and articulations, the author then situates neuroesthetics and cognitive science of art. In both cases, the main definitions, usual criticisms, and comments on potential expectations regarding the future of these two areas will be presented.

Cognitive Processes in the Reception of Interactive Short Film Script

This chapter aims to present mental representations by seven audiovisual specialists on Sirena, the antagonist of a noir fictional story in a multilinear interactive short film script. To this end, a reception study was created with in-depth interviews with specialists after reading the script to discuss its several aspects. This approach is of qualitative character. The study was conducted between June and October 2015 in São Paulo, Brazil. It is possible to perceive that participants have interpreted the character differently in spite of its consistent build. We could verify that the mental representation of the antagonist was aided by the world-view and experience of each interviewed specialist, which has led to unique readings of the character.

Neuroesthetics

This paper presents some considerations regarding the aesthetic experience from a neuroaesthetic point of view. The approach proposed here can take the discussions beyond the field of art allowing the aesthetic experience to be considered as a key aspect of subjectivity and interactions in the world. A reflection on the roles of emotion and language as fundamental aspects of the aesthetic experience is presented. Based on this reflection, some assumptions that are at the core of culture are made and re-framed here considering the postmodern turn.

Understanding How the Mind Works

The understanding of the inner workings of the mind are relevant to enhance curriculum achievements, therefore optimizing the professional practice in general and of the arts and design in particular. The recent birth of neuroscience as a transdisciplinary field poses a challenge to the curriculum and is yet to be included as an integral part of its core. The lessons taught by #TheDress viral Internet phenomenon are here discussed with the intention of enlightening the urgency of a popularization of neuroscience knowledge, from daily life to the professional practice, as a tool to explain how context and experience influence our perception. Along the same lines, the section “The Roots of Human Behavior” addresses the fundamental concept of human behavior and how our emotions were built by our genes, helping us understand basic and complex human choices. Finally, the section “The Neuroscience of Creativity” discusses the neural basis of creativity and its relation to intelligence by dissecting what neuroscience already knows about the development of creativity and how the work environment could foster creativity. The discussion of these topics in this chapter aims to enlighten readers of the importance of neuroscience knowledge in the curriculum and how the arts and design practices can benefit society to become more tolerant.

Design and Emotion

This chapter has the purpose to contribute to the scientific organization and assist in the process of building a theory related to the interrelation of design and emotion. It is intended that the issues addressed here raise discussions and lead to deepening these relations. In this sense this text presents aspects and situations surrounding the design in contemporaneity from, the cultural and economic relations, the meanings of the object and design of products in material culture, the aspects of industrialization and globalization, the senses of excitement and consumption and through the establishment of discourses concerning the design and the role of designers in contemporary.