Computational neuroaesthetics is the discipline that connects

neuromarketing Neuromarketing is a commercial marketing communication field that applies neuropsychology to market research, studying consumers' Piaget's theory of cognitive development, sensorimotor, cognitive, and affective responses to marketing stimuli. Th ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and

computer science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

. It represents the evolution of neuroaesthetics and computational aesthetics and investigates the brain processes of human beings involved during the aesthetic experience. In pursuing this research objective it uses a methodology that integrates the methods and techniques which are typical of

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions, and its disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, ...

with those typical of computational science. The visual stimuli observed by people, such as images, are computationally processed to obtain a numerical value of the aesthetic features, such as

brightness Brightness is an attribute of visual perception in which a source appears to be radiating/reflecting light. In other words, brightness is the perception dictated by the luminance of a visual target. The perception is not linear to luminance, and ...

and hues, which are related to the brain processes of the subjects. In doing so, computational neuroaesthetics overcomes the limits of computational aesthetics, which uses only classical measuring instruments, such as self report scales, to assess the positive emotions experienced by individuals.

Areas of application

The results that emerge from computational neuroaesthetics research can be applied in several areas. The privileged one is the field of

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

and communication, since it is possible to know which aesthetic characteristics an advertising stimulus should have to be appreciated at a deep and implicit level by consumers. These positive reactions are a factor that influences the orientation of people towards the products and the brands that are promoted. Another area of application is

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

and

user experience design User experience design (UX design, UXD, UED, or XD), upon which is the centralized requirements for "User Experience Design Research" (also known as UX Design Research), defines the experience a user would go through when interacting with a compa ...

. In fact, the aesthetics of products and phygital interfaces is a fundamental component for

user experience User experience (UX) is how a user interacts with and experiences a product, system or service. It includes a person's perceptions of utility, ease of use, and efficiency. Improving user experience is important to most companies, designers, a ...

. Computational neuroaesthetics offers useful knowledge to develop a design that respects those aesthetic parameters which are able to improve user experience. Products and services with good UX levels are perceived as better and easier to use by consumers. In the fields of health and well-being psychology, the knowledge of this discipline represents a potential tool able to build positive and transformative aesthetic experiences which could promote patients' engagement.

Origins

Aesthetics is a discipline that, within the psychological field, has been studied over the decades by different approaches, including the

gestalt Gestalt may refer to: Psychology * Gestalt psychology, a school of psychology * Gestalt therapy Gestalt therapy is a form of psychotherapy that emphasizes Responsibility assumption, personal responsibility and focuses on the individual's exp ...

and cognitivist ones. In 2005, Chatterjee, stressed the need to use a research approach able to integrate neuroaesthetics with an analytical description of the features of visual stimuli in order to obtain quantifiable parameters.

References

{{reflist Interdisciplinary branches of psychology Subfields of computer science