Department
Psychological Science
Major
Psychological Sciences and Biological Sciences
Research Advisor
Belfi, Amy M.
Advisor's Department
Psychological Science
Funding Source
OURE Fellowship; CSTS Seed Grant
Abstract
Previous research has shown that vividness of evoked imagery is the strongest contributor to aesthetic pleasure for poetry. However, it is 19 unknown whether modality of the poem has an effect on the relationship between vividness and aesthetic appeal, as past work has only used written poems. In this study we want to evaluate rating of vividness, valence, arousal, and aesthetic appeal based on the modality in which poems are presented (listening only, reading only, or combined). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three modalities: text-only (N=81 ), audio-only (N=74), or combined audio/text (N=78). Our results showed that participants found the audio-only modality to be the least aesthetically appealing, as compared to visual-only and combined audiovisual. Additionally, we found that vividness of imagery was the most important predictor of aesthetic appeal overall (across all three modalities) but also identified a significant interaction between stimulus modality and imagery such that vividness was most important for text-only poems. Finally, we replicated prior work on individual differences in aesthetic appeal, as our results indicate low interrater agreement for aesthetic appeal ratings of poems. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complexity of the aesthetic experience in poetry and highlight the significance of individual differences and the role of modality in its appreciation.
Biography
Jessica Frame is a senior graduating in May 2024 with majors in Biology and Psychology with an emphasis in Cognition and Neuroscience as well as a minor in Chemistry. During her four years she has been a participant of the FYRE, OURE, and OURE fellowship programs as well as presented her research at the capitol. Outside of the college, Jessica has taken research to 3 regional psychology conferences and 1 national where she won the audience choice award. Upon graduation, Jessica will be pursuing her interests in cognitive aging and memory at the University of Iowa within their Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Ph.D. Program.
Research Category
Social Sciences
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Document Type
Presentation
Award
Social Sciences Oral Session - Third Place
Location
Havener Center - Turner Room
Presentation Date
10 April 2024, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The influence of sensory modality on aesthetic judgments of poetry
Havener Center - Turner Room
Previous research has shown that vividness of evoked imagery is the strongest contributor to aesthetic pleasure for poetry. However, it is 19 unknown whether modality of the poem has an effect on the relationship between vividness and aesthetic appeal, as past work has only used written poems. In this study we want to evaluate rating of vividness, valence, arousal, and aesthetic appeal based on the modality in which poems are presented (listening only, reading only, or combined). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three modalities: text-only (N=81 ), audio-only (N=74), or combined audio/text (N=78). Our results showed that participants found the audio-only modality to be the least aesthetically appealing, as compared to visual-only and combined audiovisual. Additionally, we found that vividness of imagery was the most important predictor of aesthetic appeal overall (across all three modalities) but also identified a significant interaction between stimulus modality and imagery such that vividness was most important for text-only poems. Finally, we replicated prior work on individual differences in aesthetic appeal, as our results indicate low interrater agreement for aesthetic appeal ratings of poems. These findings contribute to our understanding of the complexity of the aesthetic experience in poetry and highlight the significance of individual differences and the role of modality in its appreciation.
