Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses
Art experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance is also placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums and galleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality (VR) in museum cont...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Brain Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/4/635 |
| _version_ | 1827745691701608448 |
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| author | Andrea Giorgi Stefano Menicocci Maurizio Forte Vincenza Ferrara Marco Mingione Pierfrancesco Alaimo Di Loro Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio Silvia Ferrara Fabio Babiloni Alessia Vozzi Vincenzo Ronca Giulia Cartocci |
| author_facet | Andrea Giorgi Stefano Menicocci Maurizio Forte Vincenza Ferrara Marco Mingione Pierfrancesco Alaimo Di Loro Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio Silvia Ferrara Fabio Babiloni Alessia Vozzi Vincenzo Ronca Giulia Cartocci |
| author_sort | Andrea Giorgi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Art experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance is also placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums and galleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality (VR) in museum contexts has been increasing. This has solicited enormous research interest in investigating any eventual differences between looking at the same artifact either in a real context (e.g. a museum) and in VR. To address such a target, a neuroaesthetic study was performed in which electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate and skin conductance) were recorded during the observation of the Etruscan artifact “Sarcophagus of the Spouses”, both in the museum and in a VR reproduction. Results from EEG analysis showed a higher level of the Workload Index during observation in the museum compared to VR (<i>p</i> = 0.04), while the Approach–Withdrawal Index highlighted increased levels during the observation in VR compared to the observation in the museum (<i>p</i> = 0.03). Concerning autonomic indices, the museum elicited a higher Emotional Index response than the VR (<i>p</i> = 0.03). Overall, preliminary results suggest a higher engagement potential of the museum compared to VR, although VR could also favour higher embodiment than the museum. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:11:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-73b6dd2e709c4b22aa49ec9245e6f316 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T05:11:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-73b6dd2e709c4b22aa49ec9245e6f3162023-11-17T18:32:57ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252023-04-0113463510.3390/brainsci13040635Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the SpousesAndrea Giorgi0Stefano Menicocci1Maurizio Forte2Vincenza Ferrara3Marco Mingione4Pierfrancesco Alaimo Di Loro5Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio6Silvia Ferrara7Fabio Babiloni8Alessia Vozzi9Vincenzo Ronca10Giulia Cartocci11Unit of Histology and Medical Embryology, SAIMLAL Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyBrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Classical Studies, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USAArt and Medical Humanities Lab, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Political Sciences, Roma Tre University, 00145 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Law, Economics, Politics and Modern Languages, Libera Università Maria SS. Assunta (LUMSA), 00192 Rome, ItalyBrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, ItalyBrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, ItalyBrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, ItalyUnit of Histology and Medical Embryology, SAIMLAL Department, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, ItalyBrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, ItalyBrainSigns Ltd., 00185 Rome, ItalyArt experience is not solely the observation of artistic objects, but great relevance is also placed on the environment in which the art experience takes place, often in museums and galleries. Interestingly, in the last few years, the introduction of some forms of virtual reality (VR) in museum contexts has been increasing. This has solicited enormous research interest in investigating any eventual differences between looking at the same artifact either in a real context (e.g. a museum) and in VR. To address such a target, a neuroaesthetic study was performed in which electroencephalography (EEG) and autonomic signals (heart rate and skin conductance) were recorded during the observation of the Etruscan artifact “Sarcophagus of the Spouses”, both in the museum and in a VR reproduction. Results from EEG analysis showed a higher level of the Workload Index during observation in the museum compared to VR (<i>p</i> = 0.04), while the Approach–Withdrawal Index highlighted increased levels during the observation in VR compared to the observation in the museum (<i>p</i> = 0.03). Concerning autonomic indices, the museum elicited a higher Emotional Index response than the VR (<i>p</i> = 0.03). Overall, preliminary results suggest a higher engagement potential of the museum compared to VR, although VR could also favour higher embodiment than the museum.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/4/635neuroaestheticsfrontal alpha asymmetryfrontal thetaemotionvirtual realityarchaeology |
| spellingShingle | Andrea Giorgi Stefano Menicocci Maurizio Forte Vincenza Ferrara Marco Mingione Pierfrancesco Alaimo Di Loro Bianca Maria Serena Inguscio Silvia Ferrara Fabio Babiloni Alessia Vozzi Vincenzo Ronca Giulia Cartocci Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses Brain Sciences neuroaesthetics frontal alpha asymmetry frontal theta emotion virtual reality archaeology |
| title | Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses |
| title_full | Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses |
| title_fullStr | Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses |
| title_short | Virtual and Reality: A Neurophysiological Pilot Study of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses |
| title_sort | virtual and reality a neurophysiological pilot study of the sarcophagus of the spouses |
| topic | neuroaesthetics frontal alpha asymmetry frontal theta emotion virtual reality archaeology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/13/4/635 |
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