“Narratives exert a powerful influence on human thoughts, emotions and behavior and can be particularly important in security contexts,” DARPA researchers explained in a paper published in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods earlier this year. They added that “in conflict resolution and counterterrorism scenarios, detecting the neural response underlying empathy induced by stories is of critical importance.”

This is where the work on the Hitchcock movies comes in.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology recruited undergraduates to be hooked up to MRI machines and watch movie clips that were roughly three minutes long. The excerpts all featured a character facing a potential negative outcome and were taken from suspenseful movies, including three Alfred Hitchcock flicks as well as “Alien,” “Misery,” “Munich” and “Cliffhanger,” among others.

“Governments often use stories to present information, so understanding how we comprehend them is important,” co-author Eric Schumacher, an associate professor of psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, explained in an email.

What the researchers found is fascinating: When suspense grew, brain activity in viewers’ peripheral vision decreased. Schumacher called it the “neural signature of tunnel vision.” Moments of increasing suspense were also associated with greater interference with a secondary task. In this case, responding by pressing a button when hearing a tone.

 

Hat tip to ABA Behavioral & Neuroscience Law Committee

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