Prof. Tom Troscianko – Vortragsexposé – Wintersemester 2011/2012

FORSCHUNGSKOLLOQUIUM DES PSYCHOLOGISCHEN INSTITUTS Das Psychologische Institut und das Studium generale laden zu folgendem Vortrag ein:

Prof. Tom Troscianko
(Bristol Vision Institute, School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol)

The Big Picture

Vortrag in englischer Sprache

Mittwoch, 16. November 2011, 16.15 Uhr, Hs 01-231, Psychologisches Institut, Binger Straße 14–16, 55122 Mainz

We all enjoy stories. They can be viewed, read, or listened to. They can use images, words, or musical notes. What do we know about the processes which underlie these events? It seems that while we are absorbing a story, we are captured by a powerful illusion. The nature of the illusion is that we are temporarily transported into the story itself, and forget that we are simply an observer or listener. This illusion is called "presence". Our interest lies in exploring how the media through which the story is told can affect presence, and what this may tell us about the manner in which we interact with the story. We begin by looking at the perception of movies. We show that levels of presence are affected by viewing parameters such as screen size, colour, and stereopsis, as well as the type of scene being viewed. Interestingly, there are indications that the manner in which a movie is put together (shots typically lasting a few seconds) affects presence in a manner which suggests that moderate departures from a "stable world" are perceived as exciting. We therefore see the relative contributions both of the medium, the story, and its temporal parsing. We also consider stories read in printed form, and show that similar processes are taking place – the degree of presence is determined by a contribution of these "internal" and "external" parameters, and that there is an interaction between them. We hope that we are beginning to understand what is going on while we are engaged in an unfolding story, without spoiling the story itself!