94 research outputs found
Die Sprache des Kindes
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The influence of a virtual companion on amusement when watching funny films
We investigated the role of a virtual companion and trait cheerfulness on the elicitation of amusement. Ninety participants watched funny films in four conditions: either alone, with a virtual companion laughing or verbally expressing amusement at fixed time points (pre-scripted), or additionally joining the participant’s laughter (responsive companion). Amusement was assessed facially and vocally by coding Duchenne Displays and laughter vocalizations. Participants’ cheerful mood pre and post the film watching and positive experience were assessed. Results showed that high trait cheerful individuals generally experienced and expressed more amusement than low trait cheerful individuals. The presence of a virtual companion (compared to being alone) led to more laughter for individuals low in trait cheerfulness. Unexpectedly, the responsive companion did not elicit more amusement than the pre-scripted companion. The general disliking of virtual companions and gelotophobia related negatively to amusement. Amusement expressing virtual companions may be used in interventions aiming at eliciting positive responses, especially for individuals with higher thresholds for amusement.European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. 27078
A filled duration illusion in music: Effects of metrical subdivision on the perception and production of beat tempo.
This study replicates and extends previous findings suggesting that metrical
subdivision slows the perceived beat tempo (Repp, 2008). Here, musically trained participants produced the
subdivisions themselves and were found to speed up, thus compensating for the
perceived slowing. This was shown in a synchronization-continuation paradigm
(Experiment 1) and in a reproduction task (Experiment 2a). Participants also
judged the tempo of a subdivided sequence as being slower than that of a
preceding simple beat sequence (Experiment 2b). Experiment 2 also included
nonmusician participants, with similar results. Tempo measurements of famous
pianists’ recordings of two variation movements from Beethoven sonatas revealed
a strong tendency to play the first variation (subdivided beats) faster than the
theme (mostly simple beats). A similar tendency was found in musicians’
laboratory performances of a simple theme and variations, despite instruc-tions
to keep the tempo constant (Experiment 3a). When playing melodic sequences in
which only one of three beats per measure was subdivided, musicians tended to
play these beats faster and to perceive them as longer than adjacent beats, and
they played the whole sequence faster than a sequence without any subdivisions
(Experiments 3b and 3c). The results amply demonstrate a filled duration
illusion in rhythm perception and music performance: Intervals
containing events seem longer than empty intervals and thus must be shortened to
be perceived as equal in duration
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