Analysis of war photos and resulting emotional impacts in terms of visual attention

ABSTRACT

This paper is part of the studies on “Formulas of Emotion in War Photography”, which seek to identify elements that cause emotional impact in contemporary images of conflict. In the present study, we used three pragmatic experiments, in a complementary way, to explore the reactions of the observers to the images of conflict: a tool for recognizing emotions by facial expression; quantitative research questionnaires; and eye movement identification mechanism (Eye Tracking). Among the results presented, the increasing engagement curve stands out during the entire presentation period of the image sequence, suggesting the possibility that the images create some form of addiction. The result of the study with Eye Track showed that the faces of the people portrayed are always the primary focus of attention.

Keywords
war photography; facial recognition; emotions; Aby Warburg; addiction; Eye Tracking