Getting a Grip on Neuroaesthetics: An interdisciplinary fMRI study of pleasure and affect in poetryCody MejeurDepartment of EnglishMichigan State Universitymejeurco@msu.edu@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 Universitymejeurco@msu.edu@cmejeur

Acknowledgments:Dr. Natalie PhillipsLab Leads Lana Grasser, Karah Smith,

Lauren StraleyResearchers Sal Antonucci, Jacob Frazier