title: Affective responses to dance.
abstract: The objective of the present work was the characterization of mechanisms by which affective experiences are elicited in observers when watching dance movements. A total of 203 dance stimuli from a normed stimuli library were used in a series of independent experiments. The following measures were obtained: (i) subjective measures of 97 dance-naïve participants' affective responses (Likert scale ratings, interviews); and (ii) objective measures of the physical parameters of the stimuli (motion energy, luminance), and of the movements represented in the stimuli (roundedness, impressiveness). Results showed that (i) participants' ratings of felt and perceived affect differed, (ii) felt and perceived valence but not arousal ratings correlated with physical parameters of the stimuli (motion energy and luminance), (iii) roundedness in posture shape was related to the experience of more positive emotion than edgy shapes (1 of 3 assessed rounded shapes showed a clear effect on positiveness ratings while a second reached trend level significance), (iv) more impressive movements resulted in more positive affective responses, (v) dance triggered affective experiences through the imagery and autobiographical memories it elicited in some people, and (vi) the physical parameters of the video stimuli correlated only weakly and negatively with the aesthetics ratings of beauty, liking and interest. The novelty of the present approach was twofold; (i) the assessment of multiple affect-inducing mechanisms, and (ii) the use of one single normed stimulus set. The results from this approach lend support to both previous and present findings. Results are discussed with regards to current literature in the field of empirical aesthetics and affective neuroscience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, City University London, School of Arts and Social Science, St John Street, London EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom. Electronic address: julia.christensen.1@city.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Julia F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Frank E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pollick
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, City University London, School of Arts and Social Science, St John Street, London EC1V 0HB, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lambrechts
authors.affiliation: Human Evolution and Cognition (IFISC-CSIC) and Department of Psychology, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain.
authors.forename: Antoni
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomila
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D001504:Beauty; D003615:Dancing / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Action perception; Affect; Body language; Dance; Emotion; Luminance; Motion energy; Movement