%0 PDF %T Improvisation for the Mind: Theatrical Improvisation, Consciousness, and Cognition. %A Drinko, Clayton. %8 2017-04-18 %R http://localhost/files/xw42nm54q %X Abstract: Improvisation teachers Viola Spolin, Del Close, and Keith Johnstone knew that with structure and guidelines, the human mind can be trained to be effortlessly spontaneous and intuitive. Cognitive studies is just now catching up with what improvisers have known for over fifty years. Through archival research, workshops, and interviews, I ask what these improvisation teachers already knew about improvisation's effects on consciousness and cognition. I then hold their theories up against current findings in cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy. The hypothesis that comes out of my methodology is that improvisation orders consciousness. By demanding an outward focus on other improvisers and the game being played, improvisation diminishes one's internal focus. This reduces self-consciousness, fear, and anxiety. I also look at more extreme examples of this change in focus where improvisers reach states of flow and experience changes in perception, time, and memory. Examining cognitive studies' relevance to improvisation has implication for scripted productions, therapy, and our everyday lives. The guidelines of improvisation and how those guidelines alter consciousness and cognition can serve as a model in ordering consciousness, interacting with people, and living optimally.; Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2012.; Submitted to the Dept. of Drama.; Advisor: Downing Cless.; Committee: Barbara Grossman, Natalya Baldyga, and John Lutterbie.; Keywords: Theater, Neurosciences, and Cognitive psychology. %[ 2022-10-11 %9 Text %~ Tufts Digital Library %W Institution