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Aesthetics and action: situations, emotional perception and the Kuleshov effect

  • S.I. : Gestalt Phenomenology and Embodied Cognitive Science
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Abstract

This article focuses on situations and emotional perception. To this end, I start with the Kuleshov effect wherein identical shots of performers manifest different expressions when cut to different contexts. However, I conducted experiments with a twist, using Darth Vader and non-primates, and even here expressions varied with contexts. Building on historically and conceptually linked Gibsonian, Gestalt, phenomenological and pragmatic schools, along with consonant experimental work, I extrapolate these results to defend three interconnected points. First, I argue that while perceiving expression is sometimes about reading minds, it is more squarely about perceiving solicitations or closures for action. Second, I frame expressions as a subcategory of Gibson’s affordances. This includes those showing up through context, in turn suggesting Kuleshov-like scenarios are not mere perceptual tricks. Third, I maintain that situations—with or without other human beings—have action-motivating expressive qualities or what Gestalt theorists called physiognomic characters, following Werner. These likewise emerge through ecological relations, and are very much like affordances and in the world as much as them. With resemblance theories, my account agrees that we perceive expression in the world. However, it indicates a broad range of cases in which expression shows up as consequences of overall situations that solicit or close actions, as opposed to mere resemblance between entities and human expressions.

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Notes

  1. Screen selection at https://youtu.be/xegCVU2tsDU.

  2. Screen selection at https://youtu.be/kRvvlRbHfqM.

  3. Screen selection at https://youtu.be/CBkViIc1-Oo.

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  1. Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Matthew Crippen

  2. Grand Valley State University, 1 Campus Drive, B-3-299 MAK, Allendale, MI, 49401, USA

    Matthew Crippen

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Seeds of this article trace to enjoying movies with a friend during high school days, and then to more recent conference papers, improved by feedback. I also had help preparing video clips and with data collection. Accordingly, I have many acknowledgments: Sherifa Amin, Patrick Anderson, Evan Cameron, Matthew Dixon, Joerg Fingerhut, Michael Friendly, Senica Gonzalez, Alistair Isaac, Andrew Knoll, Lana Kühle, Hope Sample, Dave Ward and the two anonymous reviewers.

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Crippen, M. Aesthetics and action: situations, emotional perception and the Kuleshov effect. Synthese 198 (Suppl 9), 2345–2363 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-019-02110-2

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