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​Publications

Click here for academic publications from the lab

Research

Lab Director, Dr Brendan Rooney, outlining the lab research areas

Story Time

Stories, Characters and Social Cognition

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Social Cognition refers to the way in which people process social information and includes the study of cognitive process (e.g. theory of mind), affective processes (e.g. empathy) and behavioural interactions (e.g. synchronised movement). In our lab we’re interested in understanding how features of the media, the narrative and the characters might elicit, facilitate or improve social cognition in viewers and in viewers with specific deficits. Can we design media experiences for people who have Autism or schizophrenia? 

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A video on the validation of the social cognition measurement through the manipulation of close-up shots in films, made by the final Year BSc Psychology student, Aleksandra Milenović

See for example:

  • Bálint, K.E., Blessing, J.N., & Rooney, B. (2020). Shot Scale Matters: The Effect of Close Up Frequency on Social Cognition Responses in Film Viewers. Poetics. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2020.101480

  • Bálint, K. E., & Rooney, B. (2019). Narrative Sequence Position of Close-Ups Influences Cognitive and Affective Processing and Facilitates Theory of Mind. Art and Perception, 7(1), 27-51. http://doi.org/10.1163/22134913-20191095

  • Rooney, B., & Bálint, K. E. (2018). Watching more closely: Shot scale affects film viewers’ theory of Mind tendency but not ability. Frontiers in Psychology,8, 2349. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02349

  • Bálint, K. E., & Rooney, B. (2018). Shot scale and viewers’ responses to characters in animated films. In M. Uhrig (Ed), Emotion in Animated Films (pp.162-180). New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203731253

  • Rooney, B., Balint, K., Parsons, T. D., Burke, C., O’Leary, T., Lee, S. C. T., & Mantei, C. (2017). Attention and social cognition in virtual reality: The effect of engagement mode and character eye-gaze. Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine,15, 82-87.

Editing a Movie

Media as Tools for Science

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The research measures used to explore human psychology and behaviour are often subject to a trade-off between the precision (control) of lab-based studies and the meaningful complexity (ecological validity) of working in real-life settings. Typically it is not possible for researchers to improve one without compromising the other. However, technological developments in media entertainment such as virtual reality (VR), provide a solution to this problem by allowing for the presentation and control of dynamic stimuli that can be used for exploring psychology and neuroscience in simulated real world situations. Media experiences are highly designed to capture attention and move emotion, yet they do so using rich meaningful and grounded narratives or environments. By exploring how real-world experiences differ to virtual world experiences, meaningful findings can be extrapolated from engagement with media and generalised to real-world situations. 

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One particularly important area is that of neuropsychological assessment. To study, diagnose and treat disease and disorders that impact neuropsychological function, researchers and health professionals rely heavily on standardised assessments. While reliable and relatively easy to administer, traditional standardised assessments have been criticised for their lack of ecological validity. This project explores the ways in which cognitive function is shaped by media design features, with a view to validating their use in neuropsychological assessment.

 

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​See for example:

  • Burke, T., & Rooney, B. (2021). Multi-modal dual-task measurement: A new virtual reality for assessment. Frontiers in Psychology, section Neuropsychology, 11,3999. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.635413

  • Redmond, D., Hennessy, E., O'Connor, C., Bálint, K.E., Parsons, T. & Rooney, B. (in press). An investigation into the impact of virtual reality character presentation on depression stigma. Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine, 18, pp-pp.

  • Rooney, B., Balint, K., Parsons, T. D., Burke, C., O’Leary, T., Lee, S. C. T., & Mantei, C. (2017). Attention and social cognition in virtual reality: The effect of engagement mode and character eye-gaze. Annual Review of CyberTherapy and Telemedicine,15, 82-87.

  • Rooney, B. (2016). Conducting online research. In H. Barton, G. Kirwan, I. Connolly and M. Palmer (Eds.), An Introduction to Cyberpsychology. Psychology Press.

VR Headset

Virtual vs Reality: Processing Realism in Media Entertainment

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Today, media entertainment experiences using the most advanced technology have become commercially ubiquitous and are becoming more “realistic”. Yet empirical literature does not provide any explicit consideration of the construct of realism in this context. In this work we argue that realism needs to be treated as a multi-dimensional construct that is linked to the way in which the brain processes information, rather than being seen solely as a feature of the technology. The viewed events can be plausible, typical, emotionally meaningful, or perceptually persuasive. This current line of work seeks to explore how dimensions of realism are related to attention, emotion, learning and behaviour. How do these characteristics in a game or book contribute to our perception or experience? Does a 3D film hold our attention for longer than a 2D film? Does time pass more quickly when the show is accompanied by more upbeat music?

 

See for example:

  • Greene, C.M., Broughan, J., Hanlon, A., Keane, S., Hanrahan, S., Kerr, S. & Rooney, B. Visual search in 3D: Effects of monoscopic and stereoscopic cues to depth on the validity of Feature Integration Theory and Perceptual Load Theory. Frontiers.

  • Szita, K. & Rooney, B.(In Press). The effects of smartphone spectatorship on attention, arousal, engagement, and comprehension. i-Perception.

  • Rooney, B., & Hennessy, E. (2013). Actually in the cinema: A field study comparing real 3D and 2D movie patrons’ attention, emotion and film satisfaction. Media Psychology, 16,(4) 441-460. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2013.838905  

  • Rooney, B., Benson, C., & Hennessy, E. (2012). The apparent reality of movies and emotional arousal: A study using physiological and self-report measures. Poetics, 40 (5), 405–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2012.07.004 

Gaming Keyboard

Video Games and Engagement

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The scientific study of video game play is a relatively new, but fast growing area, with researchers from Psychology, Computer Science, User Experience, and other fields actively trying to examine and explain how video games are experienced by the player. Answering questions such as “what factors contribute to video game enjoyment?” and “what drives consumer choices?” can help build our understanding of why and in what ways people engage with video games. Such research can contribute to the overall game design process; allowing developers to create games that are more engaging, enjoyable and rewarding for the player. Concurrently, as the decisions made within the games industry with regard to a game’s design (e.g. the use of reward feedback loops) or hardware development (e.g. Virtual Reality) can dramatically affect a player’s emotional engagement, academic researchers can greatly benefit from collaborating with game industry expertise; allowing them to design and conduct high-quality, applied research.

 

To date, much of the work carried out within academia on the experience of playing video games has been carried out without industry consultation. The field suffers from a lack of interdisciplinary joint-up thinking; with different researchers employing different frameworks when explaining the processes involved and using different language and terminology to describe the various aspects contained within these frameworks. Thus, for academics and game developers alike, selecting an appropriate model to guide their work can be a difficult task. Our Research: The aim of our research is to provide a comprehensive synthesis of those frameworks that detail the experience of playing video games. This will allow the identification of the factors that contribute to the overall gameplay experience.

 

See for example:

  • Prudenzi, A., Rooney, B., Presti, G., Lombardo, M., Lombardo, D., Messina, C., & McHugh, L. (2019). Testing the effectiveness of virtual reality as a defusion technique for coping with unwanted thoughts. Virtual Reality, 23(2) pp 179-185. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0372-1

  • Ekman, E., Rooney, B., Power, A. (2018). Predictors of video game addiction: Genre, gaming motivations, and trait psychological need satisfaction. In A. Power (Ed), Cyberpsychology and Society: Current Perspectives (p121-134). New York: Routledge. Doi: 10.4324/9781315160962

Music Sheets

Music, Media and Well-being

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Music can powerfully move our emotion and alter our consciousness. Our lab is interested in the ways we can capitalise on this power to bring about positive change for people. For example, music based interventions have been introduced in a range of pain management contexts. Despite their wide use, little is known about the mechanisms of action by which the interventions work. With little understanding of the underlying mechanisms, evaluation of previous interventions has demonstrated considerable inconsistencies been studies. Research in our lab explores music interventions for pain to identify what it is about them that helps patients. By uncovering such qualities, we are developing a theoretical model of how best to use music to promote wellbeing.

 

See for example:

  • Howlin, C. & Rooney, B. (In Press). Cognitive Agency in Music Interventions. Increased perceived control of music predicts increased pain threshold. European Journal of Pain. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1780

  • Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2020). The cognitive mechanisms in music listening interventions for pain. A Scoping Review. Journal of Music Therapy., 57(2). 127-167, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thaa003

  • Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2020). Patients choose music with high energy, danceability and lyrics in analgesic music listening interventions. Psychology of Music. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620907155.

  • Carey, K., Moran, A., & Rooney, B. (2019). Learning Choreography: An Investigation of Motor Imagery, Attentional Effort, and Expertise in Modern Dance. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 422. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00422

  • ​ Boylan, P., Kirwan, G.H. & Rooney, B. (2018). Self-reported discomfort when using commercially targeted virtual reality equipment in discomfort distraction. Virtual Reality, 22(4), 309-314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-017-0329-9

Creating a Movie

Movies vs Viewers

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Everyday film-viewers intuitively feel like they are in full control of their watching experience. They can talk of “suspension of disbelief” as though it is a choice. They can see their emotional engagement with the film events like every laugh or fright is based on a wholly cognitive decision to feel or not to feel. Yet researchers have demonstrated that viewers present consistently synchronized eye-movements (Loschky, Larson, Magliano, & Smith, 2015) and brain responses (Hasson et al., 2008) when viewing film. It seems as though the way in which filmmakers tell stories captures viewer attention and coordinates their emotional responses. So how much control do people have over their emotional experience? What are the ways in which they exert such control? Can films be used to help guide people in regulating their own emotional experience? Can such skills be extended beyond media entertainment into real world life-events and social interactions?

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Music can powerfully move our emotion and alter our consciousness. Our lab is interested in the ways we can capitalise on this power to bring about positive change for people. For example, music based interventions have been introduced in a range of pain management contexts. Despite their wide use, little is known about the mechanisms of action by which the interventions work. With little understanding of the underlying mechanisms, evaluation of previous interventions has demonstrated considerable inconsistencies been studies. Research in our lab explores music interventions for pain to identify what it is about them that helps patients. By uncovering such qualities, we are developing a theoretical model of how best to use music to promote wellbeing.

 

See for example:

  • Howlin, C. & Rooney, B. (In Press). Cognitive Agency in Music Interventions. Increased perceived control of music predicts increased pain threshold. European Journal of Pain. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1780

  • Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2020). The cognitive mechanisms in music listening interventions for pain. A Scoping Review. Journal of Music Therapy., 57(2). 127-167, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thaa003

  • Howlin, C., & Rooney, B. (2020). Patients choose music with high energy, danceability and lyrics in analgesic music listening interventions. Psychology of Music. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735620907155.

  • Carey, K., Moran, A., & Rooney, B. (2019). Learning Choreography: An Investigation of Motor Imagery, Attentional Effort, and Expertise in Modern Dance. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 422. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00422

  • ​ Boylan, P., Kirwan, G.H. & Rooney, B. (2018). Self-reported discomfort when using commercially targeted virtual reality equipment in discomfort distraction. Virtual Reality, 22(4), 309-314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-017-0329-9

Movie Projector
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