The neural basis of object-context relationships on aesthetic judgment.
The relationship between contextual information and object perception has received considerable attention in neuroimaging studies. In the work reported here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate the relationship between aesthetic judgment and images of objects in their normal contextual setting versus images of objects in abnormal contextual settings and the underlying brain activity. When object-context relationships are violated changes in visual perception and aesthetic judgment emerges that exposes the contribution of vision to interpretations shaped by previous experience. We found that effects of context on aesthetic judgment modulates different memory sub-systems, while aesthetic judgment regardless of context recruit medial and lateral aspects of the orbitofrontal cortex, consistent with previous findings. Visual cortical areas traditionally associated with the processing of visual features are recruited in normal contexts, irrespective of aesthetic ratings, while prefrontal areas are significantly more engaged when objects are viewed in unaccustomed settings.
Kirk
Ulrich
U
Wellcome Laboratory of Neurobiology, Anatomy Department, and Wellcome Department of Imaging Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom. ulrich.kirk@uclmail.net
D000328:Adult; D001519:Behavior; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time; D014793:Visual Cortex / Q000473:pathology; D014796:Visual Perception