AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
letterpress, invention. The most surprising was the quantitative
result of associations such as: library, school, textbook,
childhood and fairy tale. Out of 143 respondents the term library
associated with the book only 17 students (12%), school 9 (6%),
fairy tale 5 (3, 5%), childhood 4 (3%) and the textbook only
1student (0,7%). We were also surprised by the fact, that the
only association with the textbook was in the group of
University of the third age students altogether with the other
terms related to education such as - study/learning,
scholarship/education/schooling, cognition, reading, knowledge
and exam, compared to respondents of younger generation
currently studying. Senior students saw the book particularly as a
practical helper, advisor, source of useful information, they
commented on its thickness and potential content. In several
cases the respondents identified the book´s picture as a notebook,
diary, journal (18 respondents altogether). We can say, that
University of the third age students associated the book´s picture
more or less with general connections, whereas the students at
Bachelor´s degree of study prioritized analytical approach to the
given visual stimulus and tried to identify/decipher and interpret
visual perception of the book from the formal, contentual and
semiotic point of view. These respondents, whose number
compared to the whole was quite low, mentioned the blue color
of the book cover, operated with terms such as: illustration, war,
man, bomb/bombardment, free fall, clouds and correspondingly
associated the negative feelings such as: sorrow, gloominess,
depression even death. On the contrary, University of the third
age students evaluated the book cover as something pleasant and
calming, inducing peaceful atmosphere and ease. Bachelor´s and
Master´s degree students also looked for the meanings connected
with an open and closed book in relation to personality
typologies. Closed book was interpreted as a symbol of
introversion and unsociability of a man, whereas in an open
book they “recognized” openness to new impulses, open mind,
trust, relaxedness, abolition of prejudices, possibility to learn
something new, find out more, open possibilities, uncovered
secrets and development.
Also the saying “Don’t judge the book by its cover” in
connection with the closed book and connotations to human
qualities, associated only 8 students out of 143. Seven of them
were the students in the first year and one was the student in the
third year of Bachelor´s degree. Personalization or rather
transmission of meaning between closed and open book into
personality sphere is totally absent within the University of the
third age students. Another surprising finding for us was that the
cognitive associations with the book, for which we expected
more frequent occurrence, appeared only sporadically.Terms
such as wood, letterpress, invention, March were mentioned
only once (!) by the sole respondent. Only two respondents
associated the book with the gift.
We also state the terms associated by our respondents related to
subjective experience - emotional elements of our psyche: time
(for ourselves, free time, time passing by), rest/relaxation,
calmness, secret, curiosity, contentment, fun, happiness, sorrow,
desire for knowledge, silence, smell of an old/new book, smell of
coffee, page rustling, adventure, boredom, stress. We have to
stress yet again, the predominance of seniors connecting the
book with rest, relaxation, calmness, contentment, silence, but
also with curiosity, fun and desire for knowledge. Low number
of respondents associating the book with emotional aspect or
sensory perception took us by surprise. Only 9 respondents
associated tension and contentment (7 seniors associating
contentment), feeling of joy 8 respondents (4 seniors), sorrow 7
respondents. Associations such as: silence, boredom, stress,
smell of coffee, page rustling was mentioned only in 5 cases.
Interesting was also the fact, that explicit numbers regarding the
pages of an open book 158 -159 were mentioned only by one
respondent while they were quite obvious and easy to read.
Respondent coded 2Bc3 - male, Bachelor´s degree student in the
second year of study - Teaching of Fine Arts and Aesthetic
education, graduate of non artistic secondary school, mentioned
a wide spectrum of associations and meanings in connection
with given stimuli (apart from the book, also with an
apple/apples and a plastic box). In relation to apple/apples he
associated various experiences, childhood memories and family
relations. Qualitative correlations in relation to color and size of
presented fruit he symbolized as: the first sin, fertility, gift and
Christmas. Out of 143 respondents he was among the six, who
connected the picture of a non labeled plastic box with a package
of chocolate and hazelnut pralines produced by a famous Italian
chocolatier. He was also one of 11 respondents, who with the
presented plastic box clearly named much discussed negative
phenomenon of plastic waste. According to his own words we
are “smothered by it, overuse it, it is stupid how we destroy our
planet. An empty plastic box he associated with us being empty-
headed/brainless, enclosed space”, and stated symbols: the
emptiness of the soul, closeness, uselessness, transparency.
Closed book and its cover he associated with war, describing:
“bombs falling through the white clouds, no more white clouds
on the ground, death, paradox of war lying in a soft bed” (note:
photography of closed and open book was actually taken on a
bed with white bedding). As a symbol he stated: “mind, wisdom,
closed - secrecy, people falling as bombs out of the sky - hard
fall, blue color - cold (war)”. Open book excluding page
numbers he also associated with “dreaming, being draw into the
plot, I cannot stop reading, pleasure, creating new thoughts,
wide-spread fantasy”. As a symbol he stated: open book is like
an open mind, being in the middle of the plot - story of life,
relaxation”. In the last entry of our questionnaire his reaction to
the complete set of visual stimuli did not meet our expectations
as he did not associate the fairy tale about the Snow White and
the Seven Dwarfs, but he wrote an original story reflecting
phenomenon of natural and artificial materials with elements of
causal inference. Complexity of his answers prompted us to
explore and evaluate answers within item correlations of our
questionnaire, also with other chosen respondents from this
group (altogether 11), critically reflecting negative
environmental context regarding the plastic box. We wondered
whether their critical approach in relation to environmental
problem will have equivalent formulation towards the other
items. Unfortunately quality and complexity of 2Bc3 reflections
in sense of critical thinking and creativity we did not observe in
other respondents.
In the group of students attending the first year of Master´s
degree, only one respondent stated the environmental problem.
1MA4 - female, graduate of Secondary art school, field of study:
Teaching of Fine arts in combination with Teaching Technology.
In relation with an apple she associated terms such as: autumn,
pie, crunchy, having lunch in the canteen and the garden, in
relation to the apples she stated: relationship, sunset, small and
big, racial diversity, still life. Apple itself represented to her
home, two apples random pair. In relation to the plastic box
except environmental issue she associated: the container for
package free shop, box for trinkets, emptiness, desire or
fulfillment. As a symbol she stated: isolation from outer
environment. In relation to a closed book she associated: the fall,
mystery, puzzle, curiosity, desire to open and read. As a symbol
she stated escape from reality. In relation to an open book she
associated: sleepless nights, reading at school, childhood, story,
smell and rustling of pages. Typical of this respondent was that
her statements in relation to associations were exactly adjusted to
our assignments - give at least 5 associations. Although she
completed the
task stating 5 associations, but nothing more
nothing less. Also in connection with the display of all pictures,
in her answers predominates cognitive aspect stressing
identification and a brief remark of progress and change in each
picture: one becomes two, multiplicity, growth, organic, society,
with no creativity.
In senior group - University of the third age students, the
negative effect of plastic waste on our planet was mentioned by
respondent coded 3U3V11 - female, graduate of University of
agriculture. At the same time she also appreciated practical
usage of transparent box and its convenient size. In connection
with apple/apples she mentioned relations to variety, color, size,
taste and she stated the symbol of forbidden fruit given to Eve in
Eden. Picture of a closed book she described as a notebook,
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