Slow Looking at Still Art: The Effect of Manipulating Audio Context and Image Category on Mood and Engagement During an Online Slow Looking Exercise

Igdalova, Aleksandra and Chamberlain, Rebecca. 2023. Slow Looking at Still Art: The Effect of Manipulating Audio Context and Image Category on Mood and Engagement During an Online Slow Looking Exercise. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, ISSN 1931-3896 [Article] (In Press)

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Abstract or Description

In the past two decades, ‘slow looking’ has emerged as an engaging art-viewing approach used by museums around the world as part of their in-person and online programming, but there has been little empirical inquiry into the precise effects of the practice. This study represents the first such attempt, exploring reported impacts of slow looking within an online context. Specifically, the study examined the effects of two factors — audio context (control, meditation, historical) and image category (photography, representational, abstract) — on mood change and aesthetic engagement. A total of 141 participants completed the online exercise, first selecting a series of three artworks within one of the image categories and then viewing each for 3 min per work while listening to the randomly allocated audio context. Participants reported feeling significantly more pleasant and relaxed after the exercise. Representational artworks were chosen the most and also contributed to greater overall aesthetic experience scores, and the historical condition was found to lead to greater levels of cultural understanding and engagement. Future investigation within an ecologically valid setting is currently underway, examining the contribution of different live viewing elements to the slow looking experience.

Item Type:

Article

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000546

Additional Information:

“©American Psychological Association, [2023]. This paper is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the authoritative document published in the APA journal. The final article is available, upon publication, at: https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000546”

Keywords:

slow looking, art viewing, mood, aesthetic experience, context

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Psychology

Dates:

DateEvent
12 January 2023Accepted
30 March 2023Published Online

Item ID:

33048

Date Deposited:

12 Jan 2023 16:30

Last Modified:

25 May 2023 02:06

Peer Reviewed:

Yes, this version has been peer-reviewed.

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/33048

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