Abstract
We are social animals. Because evolution has equipped our species with more sensitivity to the needs and emotions of others than is evident in other mammals, we carry these cognitive capabilities with us into theatrical viewing. As we will see, our social cognition builds upon and overlaps with the general cognitive processes examined in the previous chapter. In particular, the visuomotor representations mentioned previously provide spectators with the ability to “read the minds” of actor/characters, to intuit their beliefs, intentions, and emotions by watching their motor actions. This mode of engagement, also known as empathy, extends to our understanding of actors’ use of props and even their gestures and spoken language. Empathy is not an emotion, but it readily leads viewers to emotional engagements. In addition to experiencing unconsciously the six basic emotions, spectators often gain a conscious awareness of their emotional commitments, which encourages them to form sympathetic or antipathetic attachments to certain actor/characters. As spectators, we want to be moved to emotional extremes; laughter and tears provide a kind of catharsis that is good for our bodies. Chapter 2 concludes with an overview of cognitive evolution that places these modes of engagement in evolutionary perspective and prepares for the discussion of cultural-historical cognition that follows.
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Notes
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© 2008 Bruce McConachie
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McConachie, B. (2008). Social Cognition in Spectating. In: Engaging Audiences. Cognitive Studies in Literature and Performance. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230617025_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230617025_3
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