The Scene Perception & Event Comprehension Theory (SPECT) Applied to Visual Narratives

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Media Studies

Background:

• Current theories of visual narrative comprehension are fragmented, failing to integrate sensory processing, event perception, and narrative understanding.
• A unified cognitive framework is needed to explain how complex visual scenes and events are processed over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose the Scene Perception & Event Comprehension Theory (SPECT) for understanding visual narratives.
• To distinguish between front-end (per-fixation) and back-end (across-fixation) cognitive processes in visual narrative comprehension.
• To explore medium-specific differences in processing across various visual narrative forms.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical framework development (SPECT).
• Distinction between front-end (attentional selection, information extraction) and back-end (event model construction) cognitive processes.
• Examination of relationships between processing levels and medium-specific variations.

Main Results:

• SPECT posits distinct front-end and back-end processes that dynamically interact.
• Event models are constructed across fixations, informing working and long-term memory.
• Differences in media (e.g., comics vs. film) influence front-end and back-end processing.

Conclusions:

• SPECT offers a unified model for visual narrative comprehension, integrating perception and cognition.
• Understanding the interplay of attention, information extraction, and event modeling is crucial for comprehending visual narratives.
• This framework facilitates novel research into the dynamic coordination of cognitive processes during visual event perception.