Institute of Musicology and Music Education, University of Bremen, Enrique-Schmidt-Str. 7, 28359 Bremen, Germany.
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2012 Dec;38(6):1390-403. doi: 10.1037/a0028130. Epub 2012 Apr 16.
Aesthetic theories have long suggested perceptual advantages for prototypical exemplars of a given class of objects or events. Empirical evidence confirmed that morphed (quantitatively averaged) human faces, musical interpretations, and human voices are preferred over most individual ones. In this study, biological human motion was morphed and tested for prototype effects in task-specific actions, perceptual judgments, and kinematic characteristics. A motion capture system recorded the movements of six novice and six expert orchestral conductors while they performed typical beat patterns in time with a metronome. Point-light representations of individual conductors and morphs of experts, novices, and a grand average morph were generated. In a repeated-measures sensorimotor synchronization paradigm, participants tapped a finger in time with the conducting and provided evaluations of the gestures' characteristics. Quantitatively averaged conducting motion resulted in reduced jerk (i.e., smoother motion) as well as higher synchronization accuracy and tapping consistency. Perceived beat clarity and quality of the gestures correlated with the timing of vertical acceleration in the conductors' movements. While gestures of individual conductors were perceived to be more expressive, morphs appeared more conventional. Thus, due to smoother spatiotemporal profiles of morphs, perception and action advantages were observed for prototypes that are presumably based both on motor resonance mechanisms and cognitive representations.
长期以来，美学理论一直认为，对于给定类别的物体或事件的典型范例，感知具有优势。实证证据证实，经过变形（定量平均）的人脸、音乐诠释和人声比大多数个体更受欢迎。在这项研究中，生物人体运动被变形，并在特定任务的动作、感知判断和运动学特征中测试原型效应。运动捕捉系统记录了六位新手和六位专家管弦乐队指挥在与节拍器同步进行典型节拍模式时的动作。生成了单个指挥和专家、新手和平均专家形态的点光表示以及形态。在重复的感觉运动同步范式中，参与者根据指挥的动作用手指敲击，并对动作的特征进行评估。定量平均的指挥动作导致冲量（即更平滑的运动）减少，并且同步精度和敲击一致性更高。对节拍清晰度和动作质量的感知与指挥动作中垂直加速度的时间相关。虽然单个指挥的动作被认为更具表现力，但形态看起来更传统。因此，由于形态的时空轮廓更平滑，因此对于基于运动共振机制和认知表现的原型，感知和动作都具有优势。
