From cognitive control to visual incongruity: Conflict detection in surrealistic images

Abstract

This study explored brain responses to images that exploit incongruity as a creative technique, often used in advertising (i.e., surrealistic images). We hypothesized that these images would reveal responses akin to cognitive conflict resulting from incongruent trials in typical laboratory tasks (i.e., Stroop Task). Indeed, in many surrealistic images, common visual elements are juxtaposed to create un-ordinary associations with semantically conflicting representations. We expected that these images engage the conflict processing network that has been described in cognitive neuroscience theories. We addressed this hypothesis by measuring the power of mid-frontal Theta oscillations using EEG while participants watched images through a social media-like interface. Incongruent images, compared to controls, produced a significant Theta power increase, as predicted from the cognitive conflict theory. We also found increased memory for incongruent images one week after exposure, compared to the controls. These findings provide evidence for the incongruent images to effectively engage the viewer's cognitive control and boost memorability. The results of this study provide validation of cognitive theories in real-life scenarios (i.e., surrealistic ads or art) and offer insights regarding the use of neural correlates as effectiveness metrics in advertising.

Perceptual oddities: assessing the relationship between film editing and prediction processes

“…Stroop or Flanker tasks). 1 However, the original formulation of the framework, as well as later updates make clear that conflict, like prediction errors in the PP framework, can occur at any level of the information processing hierarchy, including perceptual representations [16,17,22,23], a claim that is corroborated by a mounting body of evidence across different domains (semantics [24,25], crossmodal and visual perception [26][27][28][29], and surrealism in art and advertisement [30]). Should the theory of conflict monitoring be applicable to sensory processing and perception at large, then it could serve as the regulatory mechanism for prediction error.…”

“…In electroencephalography (EEG), an increase in oscillatory power in the theta band (5-7 Hz) in mid-frontal areas distributed over the ACC, has been proposed as the lingua franca reflecting a common adaptation mechanism in a variety of situations involving ambiguity ( prediction errors, input conflict, post-error adjustments, surprise and novelty) [65][66][67][68][69][70]. This oscillatory correlate has since been widely employed in conflict tasks at varying levels of information processing [27][28][29][30]71], and we adopt it in what follows as a neural signature of prediction errors between anticipated and actual sensory input at edit boundaries in cinema.…”

Conflict regulation in flavour perception

“…Conflict mechanisms are increasingly thought to play a critical role in shaping complex perceptual experiences despite potentially ambiguous sensory signals. Evidence that conflict mechanisms regulate disparities in sensory information in favour of coherent processing comes from unimodal (visual) conflict during binocular rivalry (Drew et al, 2022), crossmodal conflict during the ventriloquist illusion (Marly et al, 2023) or the McGurk illusion (Morís Fernández et al, 2017 and conflict in more complex scenarios, such as in viewing surrealist art and advertisement (Ruzzoli et al, 2020). In each of these perceptual scenarios, conflict mechanisms call for increased attention towards selectively stifling or magnifying sensory ambiguity to make sense of the current sensory information.…”

A longitudinal study of the effect of individual and socio-cultural factors on students’ creativity

“…There is a rich body of research on the cognitive processes involved in creativity ( Sawyer, 2012 ; Lee and Therriault, 2013 ; Cassotti et al, 2016 ). It is assumed that conflict monitoring ( Ruzzoli et al, 2020 ), inhibitory control ( Radel et al, 2015 ), and working memory ( Beaty et al, 2014 ) are related to creative activities. Specifically, people’s ability to manage thinking processes through cognitive control and inhibition can be revealed through their behavior, which is then connected to how they control their thinking process when working on a certain task ( Buckley et al, 2014 ; Tiego et al, 2018 ).…”