How changes in background music and situations influence the processes of animation comprehension

Abstract

This study examines the factors that influence the processes of animation comprehension. To that aim, the study both applies the Event-Indexing Model, which is a model of textual comprehension, to elucidating the factors that influence the comprehension of animations and examines whether those factors differ according the animation genre by contrasting two genres. The factors investigated are the five situational dimensions proposed by the Event-Indexing Model, as well as both the introductions and endings of background music (BGM). The results of multiple regression analysis, conducted on shot-by-shot reaction times as the dependent variable, indicate that the situational dimensions that influence animation comprehension vary for different genres. In contrast, the results also indicate that the BGM endings influence comprehension processes irrespective of the genre. In addition to indicating that BGM can potential enhance the updating of situational model, these findings also provide hints for animation production that can potentially facilitate audience comprehension.