Visual narratives and the mind: Comprehension, cognition, and learning

Cohn, Neil

doi:10.1016/bs.plm.2019.02.002

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…This further supports the relevance of research from outside of the context of visual narratives for establishing the neurophysiological bases of SPECT. Indeed, processing visual narratives likely involves a complex coordination of neurophysiological systems that are both domain‐specific (Cohn & Maher, ) and domain‐general (Cohn, , ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Scene Perception & Event Comprehension Theory (SPECT) Applied to Visual Narratives

Loschky

Larson

Smith

et al. 2019

Topics in Cognitive Science

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Understanding how people comprehend visual narratives (including picture stories, comics, and film) requires the combination of traditionally separate theories that span the initial sensory and perceptual processing of complex visual scenes, the perception of events over time, and comprehension of narratives. Existing piecemeal approaches fail to capture the interplay between these levels of processing. Here, we propose the Scene Perception & Event Comprehension Theory (SPECT), as applied to visual narratives, which distinguishes between front‐end and back‐end cognitive processes. Front‐end processes occur during single eye fixations and are comprised of attentional selection and information extraction. Back‐end processes occur across multiple fixations and support the construction of event models, which reflect understanding of what is happening now in a narrative (stored in working memory) and over the course of the entire narrative (stored in long‐term episodic memory). We describe relationships between front‐ and back‐end processes, and medium‐specific differences that likely produce variation in front‐end and back‐end processes across media (e.g., picture stories vs. film). We describe several novel research questions derived from SPECT that we have explored. By addressing these questions, we provide greater insight into how attention, information extraction, and event model processes are dynamically coordinated to perceive and understand complex naturalistic visual events in narratives and the real world.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Scene Perception & Event Comprehension Theory (SPECT) Applied to Visual Narratives

Loschky

Larson

Smith

et al. 2019

Topics in Cognitive Science

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“…Cohn's theories have repeatedly been supported by analyses of brain waves (Event Related Potential; ERP) which evidence that the brain sees and processes sequential art linguistically. The sequential art as linguistic is further supported by the research which indicates that seeing sequential art as linguistic requires exposure and training (Cohn, 2019). Yet, once a skill is seen as normative, people apply normative expectations to having the skill and children who do not conform to these normative expectations are seen as deviant.…”

Section: Graphemic Languagementioning

confidence: 80%

Unsettling Languages, Unruly Bodyminds: Imaging a Crip Linguistics

Henner¹,

Robinson²

2021

Preprint

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People use languages in different ways. Some people use language to help find other people like them. Many people use language in specific ways because of how their body and mind work. Sometimes a person’s environment and material conditions forces them to use language in a certain way. However, when someone languages outside of what people think is normal, others can think that they are bad with language or are not as smart or are broken. We are trying to point out that no one is actually ‘bad with language.’ Our goal with this paper is to help people understand that no language is bad. It is okay to want to change your own language use if it will make you feel better. But no one should make you feel bad about your language. We need a bigger and more flexible understanding of what language is and what it communicates about a bodymind’s capacity.

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“…Visual narratives are so familiar to us from an early age that they are often considered easy to understand (Cohn, 2020). However, research on comprehension of visual narratives and cognitive neuroscience that measures brain activity suggests that the cognitive processing involves complex visual languages (Cohn, 2019). This apparent ease of understanding has meant that comics feature in many educational interventions: to assist with language difficulties (Millogo, Gaufreteau & Millogo, 2021), to support language learning (Källvant, 2015), and to promote literacy, critical thinking and 21st century skills for the workplace (Krusemark, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%