Steps Towards the Art of Placing Science in the Acting Practice. A Performance-Neuroscience Perspective

Lippi, Daria; Jola, Corinne; Jacono, Victor; Sofía, Gabriele

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-46233-2_10

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…During an interpersonal synchronization task, which requires entering into a relationship with others, actors seem to better manage their own and the partner’s feelings. This research represents a continuation of the collaborative effort between cognitive science and the study of theater and live performance, (as previously explored by Lutterbie, 2006 ; Falletti et al, 2016 ; Lippi et al, 2016 ; Shaughnessy and Lutterbie, 2016 and, for an historical overview, Sofia, 2014 ). It underscores the ongoing significance of interdisciplinary collaboration in understanding the human experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Theater practice and interpersonal synchronization behaviors: a pilot study comparing actors and non-actors

Sofia,

Mager,

Brunel

et al. 2024

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Recent studies in the field of theater studies no longer view theater as an object, but rather as a dynamic relationship between actors and spectators. In an embodied and situated perspective of cognition, imagination emerges as a product of this dynamic. This study aims to investigate whether acting practice enhances someone’s abilities to set up an effective relationship with others and allows the individual to better manage not only the relationship itself, but also her/his own feelings and those of her/his partner. Eighty two healthy Italian adults, with no communication disorders, including 43 actors (Mage = 25.4; S.D. = 3.64) and 39 non-actors (Mage = 24.1 = S.D. = 4.17) completed a joint verbal production task named Random Sequence Generation (RSG) task. Initially, participants performed the task individually. Subsequently, in a second phase, they worked in pairs with another participant, taking turns to contribute to a shared sequence. Pairings were predetermined to ensure a balanced mix of actors and non-actors, and to prevent participants from having prior relationships. Following the task, subjects were queried about their sense of presence, and, their perception of entitativity with their partner. We observed a replication of previous studies, showing higher RSG scores and reduced repetition in the paired condition, indicative of coupling and synchronization behavior. Within pairs, the level of the sense of presence of both partners was positively correlated. Furthermore, an interaction effect between the sense of presence and acting experience on the perception of entitativity was observed. Specifically, actors described perceived entitativity with their partners when their sense of presence was heightened, whereas non-actors experienced a decrease in perceived entitativity with their partners under similar circumstances. We discuss the results and limitations of the study, suggesting the effect of artistic practice on the development of a sort of dual-task ability which enables actors to organize their sensations and actions while sustaining a meaningful connection with others. This research represents an interdisciplinary collaboration between theater studies and cognitive sciences, highlighting the value of a multidisciplinary approach to research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Theater practice and interpersonal synchronization behaviors: a pilot study comparing actors and non-actors

Sofia,

Mager,

Brunel

et al. 2024

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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“…On the one hand, the detailed illustration of the processes in an acting training method that emphasizes interaction under imaginary circumstances takes an important step in explaining how actors become capable of connecting with their roles based on a script, thereafter enabling them to engage in various expressions depending on each performance. Despite the existence of various acting training methods, researchers have described that the scientific community has generally not attached importance to the value of these methods, nor have used valid frameworks for identifying the mechanisms of the effects of these methods on social abilities ( Lippi et al, 2016 ). Addressing this shortfall, the current study is a preliminary step toward elucidating the actors’ transitions to fluent characterization through acting training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interaction in acting training and its different manifestations in novice and professional actors

Jing-yan

Okada²

2023

Front. Psychol.

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This study aimed to identify the characteristics of interactions during acting training and the underlying intrapersonal changes evoked by a training process that emphasizes paying attention to a partner (the Meisner technique). This was operationalized by conducting a post-hoc analysis and categorizing the utterances made by novice and professional actors during acting training based on video and audio recordings. In Study 1, novice participants tended to change their way of communication as the course progressed, decreasing the number of utterances that simply described the partner’s behavior and increasing those that speculated about the partner’s inner state. We then used a different focus placed on the interaction, as implied by the different kinds of utterances used, to describe the divergences between novice and professional actors regarding their interaction characteristics. In Study 2, results showed that while professional actors devoted themselves more to the connection with their partner and demonstrated more balanced communication, novice actors relied on general inference to speculate about others’ affective states. By comparing the characteristics of the utterances between novice and professional actors as they played different roles or made switches (i.e., changing from passive to active utterance in communication), this study suggests that an important impact of acting training on social abilities relates to its potential to increase the levels of involvement in on-going interactions.

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“…This is unfortunate yet not surprising, as actors are generally underreported in empirical research, compared to other performing art cohorts. We remain hopeful that this will change with the recently increased efforts in experimental studies on actors’ perception and cognition (see Noice and Noice, 2013 ; Lippi et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For this, actors engage in a multitude of acting methods and role-play exercises. Most of these focus on enhancing their awareness and control of their own emotional experiences and expressions, which allows actors to effectively inhabit the characters they are expected to perform and consequently enables them to affect the feelings of other actors and audiences ( Lippi et al, 2016 ). Indeed, empathy training through role-play exercises found empathy improvements, such as in nursing students’ empathy skills (e.g., Bas-Sarmiento et al, 2017 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feeling for the Other With Ease: Prospective Actors Show High Levels of Emotion Recognition and Report Above Average Empathic Concern, but Do Not Experience Strong Distress

et al. 2021

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Differences in empathic abilities between acting, dance, and psychology students were explored, in addition to the appropriateness of existing empathy measures in the context of these cohorts. Students (N = 176) across Higher Education Institutions in the United Kingdom and Europe were included in the online survey analysis, consisting of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME) test, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Empathy Quotient (EQ), and the E-drawing test (EDT), each measuring particular facets of empathy. Based on existing evidence and our understanding of the discipline practices, we predicted that acting students would perform the best at identifying people’s emotional expressions but might lack other cognitive or affective empathy skills, particularly those related to emotional reactions. This cohort thus provides an opportunity to evaluate different empathy measures. While actors showed significantly higher RME scores than dancers, the difference between actors and psychologists was marginal. Moreover, actors’ scores did not differ significantly on other empathy measures, such as their concern for others’ emotional wellbeing or fantasy, both measured by IRI subscales. Psychology students scored highest in the IRI perspective taking subscale and the data supported anecdotal evidence that psychologists were more concerned for others’ emotional wellbeing than dancers or actors. Dancers seemed the least concerned with others’ perspectives and emotional states, which we explained through a somatosensory ‘inward’ focus required by their art form. Nevertheless, compared to the general population, our groups reported higher empathic abilities on all IRI subscales except for personal distress. Altogether, our study shows that the RME, the IRI, and the EDT vary in their susceptibility to different facets of empathic abilities in acting, dance, and psychology students whereas the EQ does not. Emotions can be expressed and perceived through language, facial expressions, or behavior. As many empathy tests focus on one type of signal they might miss other strategies. Where empathy tests are applied to individuals that have a predominance to read or respond to others in a particular way, as we showed through these three disciplines, they might not capture these empathic strategies. We thus propose that empathy tests must evolve by means of integrating varied forms of communication.

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Steps Towards the Art of Placing Science in the Acting Practice. A Performance-Neuroscience Perspective

Cited by 4 publications

References 34 publications

Theater practice and interpersonal synchronization behaviors: a pilot study comparing actors and non-actors

Theater practice and interpersonal synchronization behaviors: a pilot study comparing actors and non-actors

Interaction in acting training and its different manifestations in novice and professional actors

Feeling for the Other With Ease: Prospective Actors Show High Levels of Emotion Recognition and Report Above Average Empathic Concern, but Do Not Experience Strong Distress

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