KaydedilenlerDerginizi ekleyin

Dergiler / Journal for the Interdisciplinary Art and Education / 2026 / Volume: 7 Issue: 3

Acting and neuroscience: A systematic review of the relationship between theory and experiment

Yiğit Kocabıyık(KAFKAS ÜNİVERSİTESİ, GÜZEL SANATLAR FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0001-7390-6370
Sayfa
—
Yayın Tarihi
2026-09-30
🏛️Bu makalenin bibliyografik verileri ve tam metin bağlantısı DergiPark üzerinden sağlanmıştır.
DergiPark Kaydı ↗
✨

Yapay Zeka Hızlı Bakış & Çıkarımlar

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(1 Cümlede Hızlı Çıkarım)

It is recommended that future research prioritize the empirical testing of acting techniques that are prominent at the theoretical level, increase the number of studies involving professional actors, and strengthen collaboration between actor training institutions and neuroscience laboratories.

📌 3 Maddede Bu Makale

🎯
Amaç & Hipotez:This study is significant in examining the extent to which theoretical explanations of the cognitive and neuroscientific foundations of acting are connected to empirically measurable evidence.
📊
Temel Bulgular & Veri:The body of the review consists of academic publications related to acting, stage performance, character portrayal, and actor training.
💡
Sonuç & Katkı:It is recommended that future research prioritize the empirical testing of acting techniques that are prominent at the theoretical level, increase the number of studies involving professional actors, and strengthen collaboration between actor training institutions and neuroscience laboratories.
🔬Tür:Literatür & Derleme Çalışması
📍Kapsam:2026 Verileri
⚙️Değişkenler:Cognitive science · Embodied cognition · Inrerdisciplinary art

Abstract

This study is significant in examining the extent to which theoretical explanations of the cognitive and neuroscientific foundations of acting are connected to empirically measurable evidence. The study aims to systematically examine the relationship between theoretical and empirical works, to identify the points of convergence and divergence between these two orientations, and to reveal how knowledge concerning the neural foundations of acting is produced. A systematic review design was adopted in the study. The body of the review consists of academic publications related to acting, stage performance, character portrayal, and actor training. Academic sources published between 1984 and 2026, identified through searches conducted in the ERIC, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases as well as Google Scholar, were taken into consideration. A total of 295 distinct studies were identified, of which 84 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. These academic sources were coded as theoretical/non-empirical and empirical/measurement-based, and were compared in terms of shared concepts, findings, points of divergence, and modes of knowledge production. The findings showed that of the 84 units of analysis included in this review, 58 (69%) consisted of theoretical/non-empirical sources and 26 (31%) consisted of experimental/measurement-based sources; this distribution should be evaluated not as a universal bibliometric ratio for the field, but as the source structure that emerged within the selection and coding criteria of this review. The two research orientations converge particularly on the topics of embodied cognition, improvisation and executive functions, and the bodily production of emotion. However, many historical acting techniques that are frequently addressed at the theoretical level do not have a direct empirical correspondence. The findings indicate that the relationship between theory and experiment remains partial and selective. It is recommended that future research prioritize the empirical testing of acting techniques that are prominent at the theoretical level, increase the number of studies involving professional actors, and strengthen collaboration between actor training institutions and neuroscience laboratories.

🔖

Bu Makaleye Atıf Yap

Kocabıyık, Y. (2026). Acting and neuroscience: A systematic review of the relationship between theory and experiment. Journal for the Interdisciplinary Art and Education, Volume: 7 Issue: 3. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23036029

📄 Tam Metin PDF Okuyucu

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

Kaynakça (87)

  1. Alıç, Y. (2024). Benlik algısının oyunculukta dönüşümü: Beden benlik (The transformation of self-perception in acting: Body-self). Konservatoryum, 11(2), 670–682. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONS2024-1572786
  2. Aly, L., Godinho, L., Bota, P., Bernardes, G., & Silva, H. (2024). Acting emotions: A comprehensive dataset of elicited emotions. Scientific Data, 11, Article 147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-02957-2
  3. Arp-Dunham, J. R. (2020). Embodied cognition, acting and Stanislavsky: A neuroscientific lens on Stanislavsky's concepts of emotions, physical action, imagination and the will. Doctoral dissertation. University of Georgia. Athens, Georgia, US.
  4. Berceanu, A. I., Matu, S., & Macavei, B. I. (2020). Emotional and cognitive responses to theatrical representations of aggressive behavior. In C. Jola & P. Hansen (Eds.), Performance in theatre and everyday life: Cognitive, neuronal, and applied aspects of acting (pp. 82–93). Frontiers Media.
  5. Berry, M., & Brown, S. (2022). The dynamic mask: Facial correlates of character portrayal in professional actors. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 75(5), 936–953. https://doi.org/10.1177/17470218211047935
  6. Bessell, J., & Riddell, P. (2016). Embodiment and performance. Changing English, 23(4), 326–333. https://doi.org/10.1080/1358684X.2016.1219226
  7. Blair, R. (2007). (Refuting) arguments for the end of theatre: Possible implications of cognitive neuroscience for performance. Journal of Dramatic Theory and Criticism, 21(2), 125–134. https://journals.ku.edu/jdtc/article/view/3573
  8. Blair, R. (2008). The actor, image, and action: Acting and cognitive neuroscience. Routledge.
  9. Blair, R. (2009). Cognitive neuroscience and acting: Imagination, conceptual blending, and empathy. TDR: The Drama Review, 53(4), 92–103. https://doi.org/10.1162/dram.2009.53.4.93
  10. Blair, R. (2010). Acting, embodiment, and text: Hedda Gabler and possible uses of cognitive science. Theatre Topics, 20(1), 11–21. https://doi.org/10.1353/tt.0.0087
  11. Blair, R. (2013). Introduction: The multimodal practitioner. In N. Shaughnessy (Ed.), Affective performance and cognitive science: Body, brain and being (pp. 135–146). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  12. Blair, R. (2019a). 4E cognition for directing: Thornton Wilder's Our Town and Caryl Churchill's Light Shining in Buckinghamshire. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 91–99). Routledge.
  13. Blair, R. (2019b). Theatre and embodiment. Theatre Symposium, 27, 11–23. https://doi.org/10.1353/tsy.2019.0001
  14. Bloch, S., Orthous, P., & Santibáñez-H, G. (1987). Effector patterns of basic emotions: A psychophysiological method for training actors. Journal of Social and Biological Structures, 10, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/0140- 1750(87)90031-5
  15. Brody, J. D. (2016). Acting, archetype, and neuroscience: Superscenes for rehearsal and performance. Routledge.
  16. Brown, S., Cockett, P., & Yuan, Y. (2019). The neuroscience of Romeo and Juliet: An fMRI study of acting. Royal Society Open Science, 6, Article 181908. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.181908
  17. Carlin-Metz, E. (2013). The neuroscience of performance pedagogy. In J. R. McCutcheon & B. Sellers-Young (Eds.), Embodied consciousness: Performance technologies (pp. 31–45). Palgrave Macmillan.
  18. Carnicke, S. M. (2019). Stanislavsky's prescience: The conscious self in the system and Active Analysis as a theory of mind. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 15–28). Routledge.
  19. De Wet, M. (2022). Critically considering embodied cognition and research in theatre and performance. Theatre Research International, 47(2), 182–194. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0307883322000074
  20. Dennis, R., & Lewis, L. (2016). Diderot's body and cognitive science: Sensation, impulse and action in performer training. Studies in Theatre and Performance, 38(1), 36–47. https://doi.org/10.1080/14682761.2016.1269510
  21. Drinko, C. D. (2012). Theatrical improvisation, consciousness, and cognition. Palgrave Pivot.
  22. Finestrone, F., di Furia, M., & Toto, G. A. (2022). Cogito (et molior) ergo sum: Between embodied cognition and the performing arts. Giornale Italiano di Educazione alla Salute, Sport e Didattica Inclusiva, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v6i3.695
  23. Fons Sastre, M. B. (2019). Investigating the actor's dramaturgy: Theatre anthropology and its scientific applications. Revista Brasileira de Estudos da Presença, 9(3), Article e89715. https://doi.org/10.1590/2237- 266089715
  24. Gluzman, Y. (2021). Cognitive neuroscience and the experimental theater of other minds. Doctoral dissertation. University of California. San Diego, US.
  25. Goldstein, T. R. (2019). From banana phones to the bard: The developmental psychology of acting. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 157–169). Routledge.
  26. Greaves, D. A., Pinti, P., Din, S., Hickson, R., Diao, M., Lange, C., Khurana, P., Hunter, K., Tachtsidis, I., & Hamilton, A. F. de C. (2022). Exploring theater neuroscience: Using wearable functional near-infrared spectroscopy to measure the sense of self and interpersonal coordination in professional actors. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 34(12), 2215–2236. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn_a_01912
  27. Gruzelier, J. (2014). EEG-neurofeedback for optimising performance II: Creativity, the performing arts and ecological validity. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 44, 142–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2013.11.004
  28. Gruzelier, J. H. (2018). Enhancing creativity with neurofeedback in the performing arts: Actors, musicians, dancers. In S. Burgoyne (Ed.), Creativity in theatre: Theory and action in theatre/drama education (Vol. 2, pp. 223–246). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78928-6_14
  29. Gruzelier, J., Inoue, A., Smart, R., Steed, A., & Steffert, T. (2010). Acting performance and flow state enhanced with sensory-motor rhythm neurofeedback comparing ecologically valid immersive VR and training screen scenarios. Neuroscience Letters, 480, 112–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neulet.2010.06.019
  30. Hague, D., & Sandage, M. J. (2017). Evaluating the effects of stress reduction techniques and Fitzmaurice Voicework on physiologic markers and mental states related to performance anxiety in student actors. Voice and Speech Review, 10(2–3), 121–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/23268263.2016.1355518
  31. Hainselin, M., Aubry, A., & Bourdin, B. (2018). Improving teenagers' divergent thinking with improvisational theater. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, Article 1759. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01759
  32. Hamilton, J. R. (2007). The art of theater. Wiley-Blackwell.
  33. Hansen, P., Climie, E. A., & Oxoby, R. J. (2020). The demands of performance generating systems on executive functions: Effects and mediating processes. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 1894. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01894
  34. Hendry, M. F., Cruz-Garza, J. G., Delgado-Jiménez, E. A., Lima-Carmona, Y. E., Aguilar-Herrera, A. J., Ramírez- Moreno, M. A., Ravindran, A. S., Paek, A. Y., Smith, M., Kan, J., Fors, M., Alam, A., Liu, R., Noble, A., & Contreras-Vidal, J. L. (2025). Mobile brain-body imaging and visual data of theatrical actors during rehearsal and performance. Scientific Data, 12, Article 1421. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05713-2
  35. Hodge, A. (Ed.). (2010). Actor training (2nd ed.). Routledge.
  36. Jola, C., & Hansen, P. (2021). Editorial: Performance in theatre and everyday life: Cognitive, neuronal, and applied aspects of acting. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 732233. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.732233
  37. Kalawski, J. P. (2020). The Alba Method and the science of emotions. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science, 54, 903–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12124-020-09525-4
  38. Kemp, R. (2012). Embodied acting: What neuroscience tells us about performance. Routledge.
  39. Kemp, R. (2019). Acting technique, Jacques Lecoq and embodied meaning. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 177–190). Routledge.
  40. Kemp, R. J. (2010). Embodied acting: Cognitive foundations of performance [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh].
  41. Kitchenham, B. (2004). Procedures for performing systematic reviews (Technical Report TR/SE-0401). Keele University.
  42. Krumholz, B. (2023). Why do actors train? Embodiment for theatre makers and thinkers. Methuen Drama.
  43. Lutterbie, J. (2011). Toward a general theory of acting: Cognitive science and performance. Palgrave Macmillan.
  44. Lutterbie, J. (2019). Technique. In An introduction to theatre, performance and the cognitive sciences (pp. 58– 60). Methuen Drama.
  45. Lösel, G. (2019). The improviser's lazy brain: Improvisation and cognition. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 29–47). Routledge.
  46. McCaw, D. (2020). Rethinking the actor's body: Dialogues with neuroscience. Methuen Drama.
  47. McConachie, B. A., & Hart, F. E. (Eds.). (2006). Performance and cognition: Theatre studies and the cognitive turn. Routledge.
  48. Merlin, B. (2013). When consciousness fragments: A personal encounter with stage fright in performance. In J. R. McCutcheon & B. Sellers-Young (Eds.), Embodied consciousness: Performance technologies (pp. 57–74). Palgrave Macmillan.
  49. Meyer-Dinkgräfe, D. (2005). Consciousness and acting. In Theatre and consciousness: Explanatory scope and future potential (pp. 55–92). Intellect Books.
  50. Meyer-Dinkgräfe, D. (2013). Embodied consciousness: Warm-up and cool-down. In J. R. McCutcheon & B. Sellers-Young (Eds.), Embodied consciousness: Performance technologies (pp. 102–111). Palgrave Macmillan.
  51. Milshtein, D., & Henik, A. (2021). Actor mindreading: Cognitive processes underpinning theories and practices of European stage acting in the eighteenth century. Comparative Drama, 53(3–4), 175–200. https://doi.org/10.1353/cdr.2019.0017
  52. Mirodan, V. (2019). Acting and emotion. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 100–114). Routledge.
  53. Murphy, M. (2018). Enacting Lecoq: Movement in theatre, cognition, and life. Palgrave Macmillan.
  54. Noice, H. (1992). Elaborative memory strategies of professional actors. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 6, 417–427. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.2350060506
  55. Noice, H., & Noice, T. (2006). What studies of actors and acting can tell us about memory and cognitive functioning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(1), 14–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963- 7214.2006.00398.x
  56. Noice, T., & Noice, H. (2019). A theatrical intervention to lower the risk of Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 280–290). Routledge.
  57. Okuş, D., & Sarıkartal, Ç. (2023). Reconsidering Stanislavski and Barba in the light of neuroscience: A comparative study of organic acting. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, 14(4), 478–491. https://doi.org/10.1080/19443927.2023.2198508
  58. Olenina, A. H., Amazeen, E. L., Eckard, B., & Papenfuss, J. (2019). Embodied cognition in performance: The impact of Michael Chekhov's acting exercises on affect and height perception. In C. Jola & P. Hansen (Eds.), Performance in theatre and everyday life: Cognitive, neuronal, and applied aspects of acting (pp. 7–17). Frontiers Media.
  59. Özkarataş, F. S. (2024). Oyunculuk eğitiminde nörobilimsel temellerin kullanımı: Pratik bir yaklaşım olarak nörosomatik oyunculuk [The use of neuroscientific foundations in actor training: Neurosomatic acting as a practical approach]. Art Vision, 30(53), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.32547/artvision.1482434
  60. Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S.,. Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, Article n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71
  61. Pelister, O. (2024). Oyuncunun yaratım sürecinde dinamik sistemler teorisi ve oyunculuk çalışması (Dynamic systems theory in the actor's creative process and the practice of acting). Doctoral dissertation. Dokuz Eylül University. Izmir, Türkiye.
  62. Phelan, P. (1993). Unmarked: The politics of performance. Routledge.
  63. Pitches, J. (2005). Science and the Stanislavsky tradition of acting. Routledge.
  64. Rajesh, A., Noice, T., Noice, H., Jahn, A., Daugherty, A. M., Heller, W., & Kramer, A. F. (2021). Can a theater acting intervention enhance inhibitory control in older adults? A brain-behavior investigation. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15, Article 583220. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2021.583220
  65. Riley, S. R. (2004). Embodied perceptual practices: Towards an embrained and embodied model of mind for use in actor training and rehearsal. Theatre Topics, 14(2), 445–471. https://doi.org/10.1353/tt.2004.0024
  66. Rooney, E. M. (2010). Proposed exercises for memory and emotion in acting pedagogy: A shared narrative with science. Doctoral dissertation. Bowling Green State University. Bowling Green, Ohio, US.
  67. Schmidt, I., Rutanen, T., Luciani, R. S., & Jola, C. (2021). Feeling for the other with ease: Prospective actors show high levels of emotion recognition and report above average empathic concern, but do not experience strong distress. In C. Jola & P. Hansen (Eds.), Performance in theatre and everyday life: Cognitive, neuronal, and applied aspects of acting (pp. 99–113). Frontiers Media.
  68. Schranz, J. J. (2017). A rope over an abyss. In C. Falletti, G. Sofia, & V. Jacono (Eds.), Theatre and cognitive neuroscience (pp. 117–130). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  69. Seppänen, S., & Toivanen, T. (2023). Improvisation in the brain and body: A theoretical and embodied perspective on applied improvisation. NJ: Drama Australia Journal, 46(1). https://njdrama.scholasticahq.com/
  70. Sofia, G. (2013). The effect of theatre training on cognitive functions. In N. Shaughnessy (Ed.), Affective performance and cognitive science: Body, brain and being (pp. 171–181). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  71. Sofia, G., Mager, C., Brunel, L., & Noel, A.-S. (2024). Theater practice and interpersonal synchronization behaviors: A pilot study comparing actors and non-actors. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 18, Article 1335393. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2024.1335393
  72. Sofia, G., Spadacenta, S., Falletti, C., & Mirabella, G. (2017). The actor's embodied language: Preliminary investigations of a pilot experiment. In C. Falletti, G. Sofia, & V. Jacono (Eds.), Theatre and cognitive neuroscience (pp. 131–138). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  73. Syler, C. (2019). “I'm giving everybody notes using his body”: Framing actors' observation of performance. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 170–176). Routledge.
  74. Taylor, A., MacArthur, D., & Sadr, J. (2025). Doing the work: Embodied cognition, ecological psychology, and screen actor training. Theatralia, 28(1), 63–84. https://doi.org/10.5817/ty2025-1-4
  75. Tribble, E. B. (2016). Distributed cognition, mindful bodies and the arts of acting. In R. Blair, A. Cook, & N. Shaughnessy (Eds.), Theatre, performance and cognition: Languages, bodies and ecologies (pp. 133–140). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  76. Tribble, E., & Dixon, R. (2019). Distributed cognition: Studying theatre in the wild. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 264–276). Routledge.
  77. Tucker, D. M., & Dawson, S. L. (1984). Asymmetric EEG changes as method actors generated emotions. Biological Psychology, 19, 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/0301-0511(84)90011-5
  78. Tunstall, D. (2019). Embodied cognition and Shakespearean performance. In B. McConachie & R. Kemp (Eds.), The Routledge companion to theatre, performance and cognitive science (pp. 58–65). Routledge.
  79. Tunstall, D. (2020). Shakespeare, performance and embodied cognition. Doctoral dissertation. University of Surrey. Guildford, England.
  80. Utterback, N. (2013a). Stagehands: Gestures and the embodied actor. Doctoral dissertation. Indiana University. Wollongong, Australia.
  81. Utterback, N. (2013b). Embodied memory and extra-daily gesture. In N. Shaughnessy (Ed.), Affective performance and cognitive science: Body, brain and being (pp. 147–158). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  82. Utterback, N. (2016). The Olympic actor: Improving actor training and performance through sports psychology. In R. Blair, A. Cook, & N. Shaughnessy (Eds.), Theatre, performance and cognition: Languages, bodies and ecologies (pp. 79–92). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  83. Vatankhah, A., Khaki, M., Nejati, V., & Farahani, H. (2026). Identifying gestures expressing mental states from the perspective of cognitive science. Language Related Research, 16(6), 361–397. https://doi.org/10.48311/LRR.16.6.12
  84. Welton, M. (2013). Footage: Surface feelings. In N. Shaughnessy (Ed.), Affective performance and cognitive science: Body, brain and being (pp. 159–170). Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
  85. White, R. A. (2013). Altered states: Radiating consciousness in Michael Chekhov's technique. In J. R. McCutcheon & B. Sellers-Young (Eds.), Embodied consciousness: Performance technologies (pp. 112–128). Palgrave Macmillan.
  86. Zarrilli, P. B. (2007). An enactive approach to understanding acting. Theatre Journal, 59(4), 635–647. https://doi.org/10.1353/tj.2008.0002
  87. Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S.,. Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, Article n71. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71