The images stored here, along with short written captions, were an integral component of a recent psychology experiment, titled Alien Bodies and How to Wear Them (Phase I). The research targeted perceptual body image, investigating how body dissatisfaction might impact the functioning of this phenomenon. The experiment was designed and run by me (Fine Art), Kirstin Mackenzie (Psychology), Heather Sunderland (Psychology), and Kai Speed (Fine Art). We received UROS funding in 2020 to develop the experiment and are currently writing up the findings for the journal Body Image.
When designing the experiment we engaged in a world-building exercise in which alien planets and their inhabitants were imagined. The creatures were creative hybrids of terrestrial non-human animals, and each creature set (one set per planet) was composed of several figures on a continuum starting with a recognisably human character to a more fantastical one. Those who participated in the experiment were provided with drawings of the alien beings and their home environments, further supplemented by short captions. The participants were then asked a series of questions, one being: “If you lived on this planet, which body would you choose to inhabit?”. As per our hypothesis we found there to be a correlation between a participant’s existing body image, and the choices they made regarding the aliens, with those possessing a negative body image (raised body concern and low self-esteem) being less likely to identify with the most alien creatures.
The images and captions will form part of a practice research package either bundled with the official scientific paper to be published in Body Image, or alongside a journal article that theorises the innovative method we utilised in the development of our experiment, a form of collaborative thinking in which images played a pivotal role. Much has been written about interdisciplinary practice research, but little of this literature attempts to make use of concepts from contemporary psychological science to examine and improve these methods. This is my aim, starting with a journal article, to be completed in 2023
