ABSTRACT

Across the academy, scholars are debating the question of what bearing scientific inquiry has upon the humanities. The latest addition to the AFI Film Readers series, Cognitive Media Theory takes up this question in the context of film and media studies. This collection of essays by internationally recognized researchers in film and media studies, psychology, and philosophy offers film and media scholars and advanced students an introduction to contemporary cognitive media theory—an approach to the study of diverse media forms and content that draws upon both the methods and explanations of the sciences and the humanities. Exploring topics that range from color perception to the moral appraisal of characters to our interactive engagement with videogames, Cognitive Media Theory showcases the richness and diversity of cognitivist research. This volume will be of interest not only to students and scholars of film and media, but to anyone interested in the possibility of a productive relationship between the sciences and humanities.

chapter 1|23 pages

Introduction

Contemporary Cognitive Media Theory

part 1|58 pages

The State of Cognitive Media Theory: Current Views and Issues

chapter 1 2|19 pages

“The Pit of Naturalism”

Neuroscience and the Naturalized Aesthetics of Film

chapter 1 3|16 pages

Evolutionary Film Theory

chapter 1 4|21 pages

The Geography of Film Viewing

What are the Implications of Cultural-Cognitive Differences for Cognitive Film Theory?

part 2|56 pages

Psychological Research and Media Theory

chapter 2 5|21 pages

Audiovisual Correspondences in Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky

A Case Study in Viewer Attention

chapter 2 6|18 pages

Engaged and Detached Film Viewing

Exploring Film Viewers' Emotional Action Readiness

chapter 2 7|15 pages

Coloring the Animated World

Exploring Human Color Perception and Preference Through the Animated Film

part 3|93 pages

Cognitive Theory and Media Content

chapter 3 8|17 pages

Mood and Ethics In Narrative Film

chapter 3 9|19 pages

Effects of Entertaining Violence

A Critical Overview of the General Aggression Model

chapter 3 10|19 pages

A General Theory of Comic Entertainment

Arousal, Appraisal, and the PECMA flow

part 4|70 pages

Cognitive Theory and Media Forms

chapter 4 13|18 pages

Cognitive Theory and The Individual Film

The Case of Rear Window

chapter 4 14|15 pages

Cognitive Theory and Video Games

chapter 4 15|17 pages

Blinded by Familiarity

Partiality, morality, and engagement with tv series

chapter 4 16|18 pages

Coming Out of the Corner

the Challenges of a Broader Media Cognitivism