10 research outputs found
Thinking Generatively about Queer/Femme Digital Aesthetics: Field Notes from an AWP Roundtable
No full textKatie Schaag: At the AWP (Association of Writers & Writing Programs) Conference in San Antonio in March 2020 one of the last major academic conferences before the quarantine I chaired a Queer and Femme Digital Literature panel featuring the work of Sarah Ciston, Sam Cohen, Kate Durbin, Feliz Lucia Molina, Sandra Rosales, and myself. My co-panelists were unable to join in person, but in the spirit of the digital they presented virtually (now it's hard to remember a time when that wasn't the default mode). Each speaker discussed their approaches to queer and femme digital literary forms and processes, with specific examples drawn from their current projects. Following individual presentations, I moderated a roundtable discussion with Kate, Sam, and Sarah. The purpose of our panel was to move toward a working theory of queer/femme digital literary aesthetics. What's queer about code? What's femme about remix, pixels, hypertext, emojis? How do queer/femme aesthetics impact the form, content, and interactive experience of multimedia poetry and fiction? These guiding questions framed an energizing, wide-ranging conversation, documented here with individual panelists' presentations, written statements in response to my roundtable discussion questions, and screenshots from the live conversation. To contextualize our collective and individual interventions, this essay begins with an introduction to situate our work in the wider field and point to some ways forward
Attentional Focus in Musical Performance: Insights from Motor Metacognition
No full textIn the field of motor learning, converging evidence suggests that focusing attention on the outcome of the movement, rather than on the movement itself, improves performance (McNevin et al., 2003; Wulf, 2013). However, this evidence is primarily drawn from the fields of sport and movement sciences – mostly gross motor skills — with limited research in music. While research in sports has shown that this effect has broad generalizability across tasks, populations and performance measures, the evidence in musical tasks is particularly mixed. Although some studies have shown that external focus can enhance aspects such as temporal evenness (Duke et al., 2011) and sound quality in skilled musicians (Atkins, 2017), others on untrained singers (Atkins & Duke, 2013) and wind players (Stambaugh, 2017, 2019) indicate that internal focus can also improve performance. Indeed, attending to movement is not always detrimental, especially when performing relatively novel motor tasks (Masters & Maxwell, 2008; Tang et al., 2023). In music, novices often prioritize attention to their body movements, such as finger placement, which is essential for correct performance in the initial stages of learning to play an instrument (Stambaugh, 2019).
Overall, these findings suggest that the benefits of different focus of attention strategies may depend heavily on the circumstances. Instead of seeking wide applicability of the attentional focus effect — which may lead to inconsistent results in music — we should aim to understand the specific contingencies that determine its impact. Metacognition, as a higher cognitive function, that allows us to reflect on, evaluate and control mental function (including movement and attention), and that has been also associated with the development of expertise (Concina, 2019; Sternberg, 1998; Zimmerman, 2006), could be an overlooked factor in previous research. This ability could provide insights that previous studies may have missed, and offer a more nuanced and comprehensive framework for determining the optimal focus of attention in musical performance.
This study aims to clarify the underlying mechanisms of the attentional focus effect in musical performance, by exploring its dependencies on metacognitive precision. To achieve this, we will first assess the effect of the focus of attention in musical performance. We will then evaluate the role of metacognitive ability within this relationship.
Our methodology will involve measuring motor metacognition using an experimental design based on previous studies and tailored to the ecologically valid task of playing the guitar (Maniscalco & Lau, 2012). Additionally, we will use self-reported questionnaires commonly employed in the educational field, as well as some of them adapted to the musical context.
When performing a movement, individuals may have metacognitive access to internal parameters (i.e., motor commands driving the action) and external parameters (i.e., the environmental effects of the action). In the context of musical performance, this monitoring aligns with the spatial movement features, for the former, and with the resulting sound, for the latter. We will investigate how guitarists of different skill levels monitor these spatial and tonal aspects under different conditions. In addition, we will examine whether their ability to monitor movement affects their performance of a simple melody under different focus of attention instructions.
By examining the effects of attentional focus on musical performance and disentangling its underlying mechanisms through the study of motor metacognition, we aim to also bridge cognitive science and education. Findings from this study can inform better instructional strategies during learning processes in educational contexts
Attentional Focus in Musical Performance: Insights from Motor Metacognition
No full textIn the field of motor learning, converging evidence suggests that focusing attention on the outcome of the movement, rather than on the movement itself, improves performance (McNevin et al., 2003; Wulf, 2013). However, this evidence is primarily drawn from the fields of sport and movement sciences – mostly gross motor skills — with limited research in music. While research in sports has shown that this effect has broad generalizability across tasks, populations and performance measures, the evidence in musical tasks is particularly mixed. Although some studies have shown that external focus can enhance aspects such as temporal evenness (Duke et al., 2011) and sound quality in skilled musicians (Atkins, 2017), others on untrained singers (Atkins & Duke, 2013) and wind players (Stambaugh, 2017, 2019) indicate that internal focus can also improve performance. Indeed, attending to movement is not always detrimental, especially when performing relatively novel motor tasks (Masters & Maxwell, 2008; Tang et al., 2023). In music, novices often prioritize attention to their body movements, such as finger placement, which is essential for correct performance in the initial stages of learning to play an instrument (Stambaugh, 2019).
Overall, these findings suggest that the benefits of different focus of attention strategies may depend heavily on the circumstances. Instead of seeking wide applicability of the attentional focus effect — which may lead to inconsistent results in music — we should aim to understand the specific contingencies that determine its impact. Metacognition, as a higher cognitive function, that allows us to reflect on, evaluate and control mental function (including movement and attention), and that has been also associated with the development of expertise (Concina, 2019; Sternberg, 1998; Zimmerman, 2006), could be an overlooked factor in previous research. This ability could provide insights that previous studies may have missed, and offer a more nuanced and comprehensive framework for determining the optimal focus of attention in musical performance.
This study aims to clarify the underlying mechanisms of the attentional focus effect in musical performance, by exploring its dependencies on metacognitive precision. To achieve this, we will first assess the effect of the focus of attention in musical performance. We will then evaluate the role of metacognitive ability within this relationship.
Our methodology will involve measuring motor metacognition using an experimental design based on previous studies and tailored to the ecologically valid task of playing the guitar (Maniscalco & Lau, 2012). Additionally, we will use self-reported questionnaires commonly employed in the educational field, as well as some of them adapted to the musical context.
When performing a movement, individuals may have metacognitive access to internal parameters (i.e., motor commands driving the action) and external parameters (i.e., the environmental effects of the action). In the context of musical performance, this monitoring aligns with the spatial movement features, for the former, and with the resulting sound, for the latter. We will investigate how guitarists of different skill levels monitor these spatial and tonal aspects under different conditions. In addition, we will examine whether their ability to monitor movement affects their performance of a simple melody under different focus of attention instructions.
By examining the effects of attentional focus on musical performance and disentangling its underlying mechanisms through the study of motor metacognition, we aim to also bridge cognitive science and education. Findings from this study can inform better instructional strategies during learning processes in educational contexts
Face Similarity 3D
No full textFaces can be distinguished by the 3D spatial arrangements of their features. Human face perception has been mostly investigated with static images in 2D, which differs from face perception in everyday life. In our online study, we will investigate face perception in two viewing conditions (static 2D and 3D). Based on behavioral similarity ratings, we will map and compare the cognitive face space for 2D and 3D stimuli to advance the understanding on the role of stimulus presentation on face processing
Exposure to misleading and unreliable information reduces active information-seeking
No full textEven when identified, misleading and unreliable information lead to poor decision-making. We investigated whether people actively compensate for this by seeking additional information. Across six experiments, participants predicted the outcomes of lotteries based on information they received from several information sources, each with an explicitly-stated level of reliability. Before making their prediction, participants were given the opportunity to bid to view an additional information source. In different conditions, sources either had only positive reliability (reliably right), or contained some random (unreliable), or below-chance reliability (reliably wrong) information. Though the same information was conveyed in each condition, exposure to unreliable and reliably wrong information reduced choice accuracy. Crucially, we also found it paradoxically reduced information-seeking. In follow-up experiments, participants rated their decision confidence. Confidence was reduced when unreliable or reliably wrong sources were present, suggesting that decreased information-seeking occurred despite lower confidence. In conclusion, even when labelled, misleading and unreliable information negatively impacts belief formation, and also paradoxically reduces curiosity
AffectTracker: real-time continuous rating of affective experience in immersive virtual reality
No full textSubjective experience is key to understanding affective states, characterized by valence and arousal. Traditional experiments using post-stimulus summary ratings do not resemble natural behavior. Fluctuations of affective states can be explored with dynamic stimuli, such as videos. Continuous ratings can capture moment-to-moment affective experience, however the rating or the feedback can be interfering. We designed, empirically evaluated, and openly share AffectTracker, a tool to collect continuous ratings of two-dimensional affective experience (valence and arousal) during dynamic stimulation, such as 360-degree videos in immersive virtual reality. AffectTracker comprises three customizable feedback options: a simplified affect grid (Grid), an abstract pulsating variant (Flubber), and no visual feedback. Two studies with healthy adults were conducted, each at two sites (Berlin, Germany, and Torino, Italy). In Study 1 (Selection: n = 51), both Grid and Flubber demonstrated high user experience and low interference in repeated 1-min 360-degree videos. Study 2 (Evaluation: n = 82) confirmed these findings for Flubber with a longer (23-min), more varied immersive experience, maintaining high user experience and low interference. Continuous ratings collected with AffectTracker effectively captured valence and arousal variability. For shorter, less eventful stimuli, their correlation with post-stimulus summary ratings demonstrated the tool’s validity; for longer, more eventful stimuli, it showed the tool’s benefits of capturing additional variance. Our findings suggest that AffectTracker provides a reliable, minimally interfering method to gather moment-to-moment affective experience also in immersive environments, offering new research opportunities to link affective states and physiological dynamics
AffectTracker: Real-time continuous rating of affective experience in immersive Virtual Reality.
No full textSubjective experience is key to understanding affective states, characterized by valence and arousal. Traditional experiments using post-stimulus summary ratings do not resemble natural behavior. Fluctuations of affective states can be explored with dynamic stimuli, such as videos. Continuous ratings can capture moment-to-moment affective experience, however the rating or the feedback can be interfering.
We designed, empirically evaluated, and openly share AffectTracker, a tool to collect continuous ratings of two-dimensional affective experience (valence and arousal) during dynamic stimulation, such as 360-degree videos in immersive virtual reality. AffectTracker comprises three customizable feedback options: a simplified affect grid (Grid), an abstract pulsating variant (Flubber), and no visual feedback.
Two studies with healthy adults were conducted, each at two sites (Berlin, Germany, and Torino, Italy). In Study 1 (Selection: n=51), both Grid and Flubber demonstrated high user experience and low interference in repeated 1-min 360-degree videos. Study 2 (Evaluation: n=83) confirmed these findings for Flubber with a longer (23-min), more varied immersive experience, maintaining high user experience and low interference.
Continuous ratings collected with AffectTracker effectively captured valence and arousal variability. For shorter, less eventful stimuli, their correlation with post-stimulus summary ratings demonstrated the tool’s validity; for longer, more eventful stimuli, it showed the tool’s benefits of capturing additional variance.
Our findings suggest that AffectTracker provides a reliable, minimally interfering method to gather moment-to-moment affective experience also in immersive environments, offering new research opportunities to link affective states and physiological dynamics
Dynamic presentation in 3D modulates face similarity judgments – A human-aligned encoding model approach
No full textFace perception dynamically unfolds in three-dimensional space, yet, experimental paradigms predominantly rely on static 2D images, limiting insights into real-world face processing. We conducted a pre-registered study comparing face similarity judgments in static 2D and dynamic 3D conditions using a triplet odd-one-out task in 2,605 participants (yielding data from 323,400 unique trials). Behavioral similarity matrices revealed a strong cross-condition correlation (R2D~3D = 0.93, p < 0.001), suggesting perceptual invariance, that is, consistency across modalities. However, human-aligned sparse (VICE) and deep (VGG-Face) encoding models trained to map face stimuli to behavioral judgments uncovered condition-specific weighting of facial geometry: while chin-cheek distance, eye size, and nose shape dominated similarity judgements in both conditions, face-width-height ratio and upper face length gained more perceptual relevance in 3D. Importantly, the richer information in 3D stimuli significantly reduced choice variance, indicating lower perceptual demand than in 2D during similarity judgements. Employing a representational alignment framework, our approach reveals both shared cognitive processing and representational differences between static 2D and dynamic 3D faces, motivating more naturalistic experimental paradigms which reflect real-world perception. Our open large-scale dataset and encoding models enable further advances in face perception research across biological and computational systems
