Expect the Expected: Aesthetics of Planting and Payoff

Planting and payoff is a pervasive narrative device, but researchers have only begun to address the basis of its aesthetic appeal. The device excites a variety of cognitive effects that help explain its power as a storytelling technique. Empirical research in cognitive psychology — including studies of expectation, music, insight, humor, expertise, aesthetics, and other areas — help us understand the cognitive mechanics of the planting-and-payoff device and the pleasures that attend it. Psychology research also helps us address some perplexing questions in narratology, such as why people feel suspense when they already know the story outcome. Recruiting the human tendency to prepare mentally for future events, storytellers enlist planting and payoff to choreograph expectations and enhance an artwork’s aesthetic value.

Expect the Expected: Aesthetics of Planting and Payoff Presentation