Evelyn Inman
Games and Interactive Media & English
Research Topic: The Impact of Foregrounding on Aesthetic Experience: An Analysis of Real-Time Responses to Sonnets
Research Poster Located in the Neighborhood Engagement Centers
Research Summary:
Evelyn's research explores how expertise influences aesthetic experience by comparing reactions of English majors and non-English majors to reading sonnets. Participants read the sonnets first for comprehension and then highlighted pleasing moments in green and displeasing ones in red. Visualizations were created to show highlighted words or phrases, and students rated their overall enjoyment and answered short questions. The study found that while English majors rated their enjoyment higher, both groups had similar moment-to-moment reactions. Enjoyment was concentrated around literary techniques like imagery and figurative language, regardless of expertise.
