The doubly wired spectator: Marston's theory of emotions and psychophysiological research on cinematic pleasure in the 1920s

In the 1920s, researchers attempted to gauge the emotional impact of motion pictures by measuring spectators' respiration and blood pressure during screenings. This paper analyzes psychophysiological spectator studies conducted by William M. Marston at Columbia University and Universal Studios and traces the roots of his methods to Hugo Münsterberg's applied psychology. Examining the model of embodied spectatorship and concepts of film aesthetics articulated in Marston's experiments exposes their ethical and epistemological implications. Further, despite his claims to objectivity, Marston's interpretation of his data reflected cultural clichés and perpetuated the universalist fallacies of biologically oriented psychology.