Background. Imagination is necessary to create a plastic image in the theatre, choreography, cinema, and aesthetic sports. There are studies of the psychophysiology of imagination in the process of artistic creation using EEG, fMRI, and stabilometric platform. However, comprehensive studies of method acting using objective quantitative methods have not become widespread.
The Objective of the study was to reveal the relationship between stabilometric and electrophysiological parameters in actors when imagining the two opposed objects, the tower and the jellyfish, while maintaining a vertical posture.
Design. The study was conducted over two days on 12 volunteers (4 males and 8 females aged 20-22), students of the Higher School of Performing Arts (K.Raikin Theater School). Asobjects for imagination and mental transformation the participants were o ered two images: a jelly sh and a high stable tower. The tasks for the actors were set in a randomized order. Participants were asked to complete the “Romberg Test” on a stabilometric platform (European feet position), and mentally represent a behaviour (movements, actions, emotions) that an actor could perform on a stage to show a given image. All actions had to be performed mentally only, while the original vertical position of the body should not be changed. Simultaneously, the multichannel EEG was recorded.
Results. The normalized index of the mechanical energy (Av) and the surface area of the centre of pressure uctuations (S) were significantly lower while maintaining a vertical posture in the process of representing the tower compared to the representation of the jelly sh (p <0.05, Wilcoxon Test). Other stabilometric parameters were also lower in the image of the tower but did not reach the level of signi cance (p> 0.05). As to EEG spectral parameters, the representation of the jelly sh compared to the tower was characterized by a signi cantly lower power frequency of 3-4 Hz in the right hemisphere, frequencies of 8-9 Hz in the anterior temporal leads symmetrically (except for Fp1 and Fp2), 11-12 Hz symmetrically except for the posterior leads (O1, O2, T5, T6), 12-13 Hz in the right hemisphere except for Fp1 and Fp2, and, nally, less high-frequency power of 20- 21 Hz on almost all leads (except Fp1 and Fp2), 24-25 Hz on the right (except Fp2) and frequencies above 24 Hz in both occipital leads (all p <0.01).
Conclusions. The results of the study suggest that the mental representation of the tower provides a more stable posture and reduced the physiological cost (energy consumption) of this process. There were also identified some differences in the central mechanisms (according to the EEG parameters) of maintaining a vertical posture with the mental representation of the two opposed images. The main di erences between the EEG in the image of the tower and the jelly sh were observed in the central and parietal leads, corresponding to the localization of the somatosensory cortex, vestibular areas, and the body scheme representation. The results of the study could be used to objectify the effectiveness of different programs of ideomotor training of actors.
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Keywords: stabilometry; EEG; imagination; plastic expressiveness; training of actors
Available Online 06.10.2020
Fig. 1. Data register using a stabiloplatform and EEG registration in actors presenting the image assigned
Fig. 2. The ‘Tower’ Av indicator was statistically very different from the ‘Jellyfish’ indicator (Z = -2.51, p = 0.012 according to the Wilcoxon Test)
Fig. 3. The ‘Tower’ S indicator was statistically very different from the ‘Jellyfish’ indicator (Z = -2.17, p = 0.03 according to the Wilcoxon Test)
Fig. 4. Mean values of the medians of absolute power in the right occipital lead while mentally acting the ‘Tower’ (upper line) and the ‘Jellyfish’ (lower line)
Fig. 5. Comparison of individual values of the interhemispheric asymmetry in the occipital leads in the alpha rhythm range for the ‘Tower’ and the ‘Jellyfish’
Nizhelskoy V.A.,Kovaleva A.V.,Panova E.N. (2020).Impact of perceiving sense-oriented images on the parameters of the vertical posture and brain activity in actors during method acting (pilot study). National Psychological Journal, [Natsional’nyy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal], (13)2,148–157.