Much research has shown that experts possess superior memory in their domain of expertise. This memory benefit has been proposed to be the result of various encoding mechanisms, such as chunking and differentiation. Another potential encoding mechanism that is associated with memory is event segmentation, which is the process by which people parse continuous information into meaningful, discrete units. Previous research has found evidence that segmentation, to some extent, is affected by top-down processing. To date, few studies have investigated the influence of expertise on segmentation, and questions about expertise, segmentation ability, and their impact on memory remain. The goal of the current study was to investigate the influence of expertise on segmentation and memory ability for two different domains: basketball and Overwatch. Participants with high and low knowledge for basketball and with low knowledge for Overwatch viewed and segmented videos at coarse and fine grains, then completed memory tests. Differences in segmentation ability and memory were present between experts and control novices, specifically for the basketball videos; however, experts' segmentation only predicted memory for activities for which knowledge was lacking. Overall, this research suggests that experts' superior memory is not due to their segmentation ability and contributes to a growing body of literature showing evidence supporting conceptual effects on segmentation.

No abstract

The current study examined the impact of the need for cognitive closure, the motivation to engage in controlled processing, and perceptual fluency on aesthetic responses to abstract artwork. The study was done to further test Graf and Landwehr's (2015) pleasure-interest model of aesthetic liking (PIA model), which assumes that an individual's need for cognitive enrichment elicits controlled processing and increased interest in the stimulus. Participants' need for cognitive closure was assessed, and they were given 1 of 3 task instructions that were thought to influence their motivation. In one condition, participants were told to "go with their gut," which deemphasized controlled processing. In the second and third conditions, which promoted controlled processing, participants were told either to create a title for the image or that thinking about art has cognitive benefits. The cognitive-benefits condition was meant to elicit epistemic motivation in participants that would then lead them to engage in controlled processing. The findings indicated that the two controlled processing conditions led to greater pleasure and interest than did the gut-reaction condition and that fluency affected pleasure but not interest. Surprisingly, one's need for cognitive closure did not correlate with pleasure or interest ratings and did not moderate the effect of motivation condition. The results are discussed in the context of the PIA model.

No abstract

Numerous theoretical frameworks argue that engaging in controlled cognitive processing of artwork is an important aspect of the aesthetic experience. However, most research on controlled processing has examined controlled processing based on situational factors that can be experimentally manipulated. While this is a valuable endeavor, it does not capture important differences that naturally exist between art viewers. To rectify this, the current study developed a measure of individual differences in controlled processing within aesthetics, the Aesthetic Processing Preference Scale (APPS). The APPS was constructed along three dimensions of controlled processing in aesthetic experience: Appreciation for Complexity in art, Intolerance for Ambiguity in art, and the Propensity to Contextualize artworks. In two studies, participants completed the APPS as well as convergent and divergent validity measures. Across both studies, the APPS was found to be a reliable and valid measure of controlled processing. The utility of the APPS to future researchers and educators is in accounting for the reasons that someone is likely to engage in controlled processing, providing further insight into human motivation.