title: Influence of aesthetic perception on visual event-related potentials.
abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the effects of visual aesthetic perception on event-related potentials (ERPs). Eight subjects assigned an aesthetic judgment (beautiful, neutral, or ugly) and a 10-step beauty estimation to the target stimuli, consisting of famous artistic pictures and geometric shapes. In a further task, the subjects performed a motor response to the previously judged pictures and geometric shapes. ERPs were recorded through 54 scalp electrodes during both tasks. The P3b amplitude was increased during the categorization of the geometric shapes compared to the artistic figures and during the vision of the beautiful targets preceding the motor response. The categorization of the aesthetic qualities of geometrical shapes seems to induce a higher level of attention, while a higher arousal variation was elicited by the recognition of beauty, in any form that was presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Bari, Neurophysiopatology of Chronic Pain Unit, Neurological Clinic Policlinico General Hospital, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy. m.detommaso@neurol.uniba.it
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Tommaso
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pecoraro
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sardaro
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Serpino
authors.forename: Giulio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lancioni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Livrea
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001504:Beauty; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004954:Esthetics; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D014796:Visual Perception