Background: Motor imagery is the mental representation of an action without overt movement or muscle activation. However, few previous studies have demonstrated motor imagery training effects as an objective assessment tool in patients with early stroke. Objective: To investigate the effect of motor imagery training on Somatosensory Evoked Potentials (SSEP) and upper limb function of stroke patients. Design: A quasi-experimental study. Methods: Twenty-four patients with stroke were enrolled in this study. All subjects were assigned to the experimental or control group. All participants received traditional occupational therapy for 30 minutes, 5 times a week. The experimental group performed an additional task of motor imagery training (MIT) 20 minutes per day, 5 days a week, for 4 weeks. Both groups were assessed using the SSEP amplitude, Fugl-Meyer assessment of upper extremity (FMA UE) and Wolf motor function test. Results: After the intervention, the experimental group showed significant improvement in SSEP amplitude and FMA UE than did the control group. Conclusion: These findings suggest that the MIT effectively improve the SSEP and upper limb function of stroke patients.

Background: Although studies on physical motor learning through motor imagery training have been conducted in various fields, studies on its effectiveness are still considered insufficient. Objective: To investigate the effect of motor imagery training and balance training on static balance of asymptomatic adults in their 20s. Design: A quasi-experimental study. Methods: Thirty-six adults in their 20s who passed the tandem stance test were randomized to the motor imagery training group (MIG, n=12), motor imagery with balance training group (MIBG, n=12), and balance training group (BG, n=12). Each group underwent their respective interventions three times a week for four weeks, and changes in static balance were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. Results: Trace length was significantly lower in the MIBG than in the MIG and BG (P<.05), and a significant reduction in trace length in the MIBG was observed after the intervention as compared to the baseline (P<.05). Furthermore, a significantly lower velocity was observed in the MIBG than in the MIG and BG (P<.05), and a significant reduction of velocity in the MIBG was more observed after the intervention compared to the baseline (P<.05). Conclusion: These results suggest that motor imagery training enhance static balance in healthy college students.

In South Korea, Particulate matter (PM) has become one of the major threats to public health and safety across the country. Urban forests have been considered as a possible contributor to mitigate the air pollutants in urban areas. However, there is lack of research on investigating the role of urban forests on mitigating PM. This study investigated on the relationship between urban forests and PM concentrations in Seoul, South Korea, by using urban forest data, PM measurements, satellite imagery, and meteorological data. The correlation between the size of urban forests and PM measurements within three concentric buffers of 1 km, 500 m, and 300 m in radius were analyzed. Overall PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations varied significantly with different seasons during the 2-year study period. Overall PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations tended to be reduced as the urban forest size increased. This tendency became less noticeable as smaller urban forest patches were predominant over larger patches in the buffers. Season-specific models were developed by using 30m-resolution satellite imageries of Landsat 8 and meteorological parameters for estimating PM concentrations. No noticeable correlations were found between the modeled PM concentrations and the Urban forest size showing the ualves of Pearson’s coefficient r of 0.08 to 0.23 for PM10 and -0.16 to 0.04 for PM2.5. In this study, the variations in PM measurements with the presence of high urban forests within buffers were investigated. Overall PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were lower along the domains encompassing higher urban forests in elevation.

지구온난화와 급속한 기후 변화는 북서 태평양 내 태풍의 특성에 오랫동안 영향을 미쳤고, 이로 인해 한반도 연안에서 치명적인 재해가 증가하고 있다. 마이크로파 센서의 일종인 Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR)는 위성 광학 및 적외선 센서로는 바람을 구할 수 없는, 흐린 대기 조건인 태풍 주위에서 고해상도 바람장을 생산할 수 있다. SAR 자료 로부터 해상풍을 산출하기 위한 Geophysical Model Functions (GMFs)에는 풍향 입력이 필수적이며, 이는 태풍 중심을 정확히 추정하는 것에 기반해야 한다. 본 연구는 태풍 중심 탐지 방법의 문제점을 개선하고 이를 해상풍 산출에 반영하기 위하여, Sentinel-1A 영상을 이용해 태풍 중심을 추정하였다. 그 결과는 한국 및 일본 기상청이 제공한 태풍 경로 자료와 비교하여 검증하였고, Himawari-8 위성의 적외 영상도 활용하여 검증하였다. 태풍의 초기 중심 위치는 VH 편파를 이용해 설정하여 오차의 발생 가능성을 줄였다. 탐지된 중심은 한국 및 일본 기상청에서 제공하는 4개 태풍의 경로 자료와 평균 23.76 km의 차이를 보였다. Himawari-8 위성에서 추정된 태풍 중심에 비교했을 때 결과는 육지 근처에 위치하면서 58.73 km의 큰 차이를 보인 한 태풍을 제외하고는 평균 11.80 km의 공간 변이를 보였다. 이는 고해상도 SAR 영상이 태풍 중심을 추정하고 태풍 주위 해상풍 산출에 활용될 수 있음을 시사한다.

본고에서는 소식의 계자로 잘 알려진 소과의 시 가운데 부친의 생일을 축하하며 남긴「大人生日」의 시 11수를 분석하고, 이들 시에 드러난 부친 소식의 형상을 살펴보았다. 오대시안 이후 소식은 유배령을 받고 황주에 안치되는데 이 때 도성에는 소식이 ‘신선’이 되어 승천하였다거나, 병으로 세상을 떠났다는 유언비어가 빠른 속도로 번져나간다. 1차 황주 유배 이후 지방관으로 임직하던 소식은 다시금 신법파의 타겟이 되어 혜주와 담주에서 2차 유배를 겪게 되는데, 이 기간에도 소식과 관련된 유언비어는 지속적으로 생성된다. 그런데 혜주·담주에서의 유배기간 동안 부친 소식과 함께 생활했던 소과의 시를 살펴보면 소식에게 신선의 형상과 목민관의 형상을 부여하였음이 발견된다. 소과의 시 속에서 소식은 비방과 시비가 가득한 속세마저도 초월하여 고도의 정신적 승화를 이루어 낸 신선과도 같은 존재이자, 유배를 오기 전에는 善政을 행하였던 목민관의 형상을 획득함으로써 유언비어에 의해 무력화된 존재감을 회복하고 있다. 이러한 일련의 과정은 정치적 사건을 겪으면서 실추되어야 했던 한 개인의 명예를 문학적 형상화의 과정을 통해 다시금 회복하고자 했던 시도였다는 점에서 중요하다 할 것이다.

경건한 자의 고난을 다루고 있는 주전 10세기 이전의 고대 근동의 신정론적 시문학 작품인 욥기와 바빌로니아 욥기(“루드룰 벨 네메키,” “내가 지혜의 주를 찬양하리라”)는 고통과 버려짐, 탄식, 갈망, 회복과 찬양이라는 공통의 모티브를 갖고 있다. 욥과 숩시마쉬레삭칸은 자연물을 도입하여 다양한 수사학적 기교를 통해서 질병의 고통과 환자의 육체적-정신적 갈망, 신에 대한 이해를 운문형식으로 표현했다. 그들은 내용 전개에 천체, 지질, 해양, 광물, 기상과 기후, 동식 물, 미네랄, 유충, 인체, 발생학적 발전 단계와 관련된 자연물을 200가지 이상 사용했다. 자연비유를 통해 신과 인간의 다양한 모습을 드러낼 수 있다. 신은 사나운 사자와 날아간 새, 날려버리는 폭풍이 되기도 하고 고난 받는 자는 먹잇 감 동물, 구슬피 우는 비둘기, 낙엽과 마른 검불, 좀먹은 의복이 되기도 한다. 주 인공들은 자연을 통해 신의 지혜와 능력을 찬양한다. 두 작품은 자연을 통해 신의 초월성과 편재성/임재성에 대해 인식하게 하고, 고난에 대해 사색하게 함으로 영성 개발에 도움을 준다.

1970년대 말부터 지속적인 대외개방정책을 펼쳐온 중국은 최근 들어 비약적 경제성장을 이룩하였으나, 불균등 성장에 의한 지역 간 경제개발 격차의 문제점이 대두되고 있다. 이러한 현상을 고려하여 본 연구는 DMSP-OLS 영상자료를 활용하여 중국 접경지역의 접경국가별, 권역별 및 도시별 경제성장의 시·공간적 역동성을 고찰하였다. 이를 위해 상호보정, 연내보정, 연간보 정 등 전처리 과정을 거친 영상자료로부터 빛합계지수를 도출하였다. 도시별 빛합계지수에 관한 변동계수, 연간성장률, 복합 연평균성장률의 시계열 추세와 빛합계지수 중심점의 시·공간적 변화패턴을 분석하였다. 본 연구의 결과에 따르면 중국 접경지역의 권역 간 경제개발 격차는 감소하였으나, 도시별 불균등은 여전한 문제로 나타났다. 이러한 결과는 중국과 인접 국가 간 지정학적 관계도 영향을 미쳤을 것으로 추정된다. 접경지역 경제성장의 시계열 변화를 최근까지 살펴보기 위해 향후 연구에는 2013년부터 제공되는 SNPP-VIIRS DNB 영상자료를 함께 활용해야 할 것이다.

오늘날 원격탐지기술의 발달로 인해, 산림지역과 같이 피복 분류작업이 난해한 지역을 비롯한 광범위한 지역에서의 세밀한 변화탐지를 위한 고해상도 위성영상 취득이 가능해졌다. 하지만, 고해상도 영상에 대한 시계열분석의 과정에서 많은 양의 지상 관측 데이터가 요구된다. 본 연구에서는 토지피복도를 지상 관측데이터로 활용한 위성영상 분류 방법의 가능성을 시험하였다. 연구대상지는 강원도 원주시이며, 산림지역과 시가화지역이 공존하는 공간이다. 연구 자료는 2015년 3월에 촬영된 KOMPSAT-3A 영상과 2017년도 토지피복도를 이용하여 분류를 시도하였다. 서포트벡터머신 (SVM)과 랜덤포레스트(RF)의 두 가지 상이한 화소기반 분류기법을 적용하여 대상지에 대한 피복분류의 분류정확도를 비교･분석하였으며, SVM 분석의 경우 다수 분석(Majority analysis)을 후속 진행하였다. 분석대상은 산림식생만 포함 한 지역과 연구대상지 전지역으로 구분하였고, 대상 면적이 협소한 습지는 분석과정에서 제외하였다. 분류 결과는 오차 행렬의 전체 정확도가 두 가지 분류대상에 대해 RF 기법이 SVM 기법보다 더 나은 것으로 나타났다. 산림지역만을 대상으로 한 경우, RF 기법이 SVM 기법에 비해 18.3% 높은 값을 나타낸 반면, 전체지역을 대상으로 한 경우는 둘 사이의 간격이 5.5%로 줄어들었다. SVM 기법에 다수 분석 (Majority analysis)을 추가로 실시한 경우, 1% 정도의 정확도 향상이 나타났다. RF 기법은 산림지역의 활엽수를 분석해 내는데 상당히 효과적이었지만, 다른 대상에 대해서는 SVM 기법이 더 나은 결과를 나타내었다. 본 연구는 고해상도 단일시기 영상에 대한 화소 기반의 분류기법을 시험한 것으로, 추후 시계열분석 및 객체기반 분류기법의 추가적인 적용으로 향상된 정확도와 신뢰도를 얻을 수 있을 것으로 판단된다. 이 연구의 방법론은 시공간적으로 고해상도 분석결과를 제공함으로써, 대면적의 토지계획에 유용할 것으로 기대된다.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the fixed wing type domestic UAV for monitoring of algae bloom in aquatic environment. The UAV used in this study is operated automatically in-flight using an automatic navigation device, and flies along a path targeting preconfigured GPS coordinates of desired measurement sites input by a flight path controller. The sensors used in this study were Sequoia multi-spectral cameras. The photographed images were processed using orthomosaics, georeferenced digital surface models, and 3D mapping software such as Pix4D. In this study, NDVI(Normalized distribution vegetation index) was used for estimating the concentration of chlorophyll-a in river. Based on the NDVI analysis, the distribution areas of chlorophyll-a could be analyzed. The UAV image was compared with a airborne image at a similar time and place. UAV images were found to be effective for monitoring of chlorophyll-a in river.

식생보전등급은 식생의 입지 조건, 천이정도, 경관, 인위적인 간섭정도, 식생경관을 고려하여 자연성, 역사성, 희귀성, 등의 가치에 따라 등급화 하여 활용 할 수 있는 체계이다. 본 연구는 식생보전등급 평가 결과를 검수하는 방안을 연구하고자 위성영상을 활용한 정규식생지수(NDVI)와 2016년 소백산국립공원 정밀식생도를 비교 및 분석하고자 하였다. 대상지역인 소백산국립공원은 면적 322.01㎢로서 행정구역상 충청북도 단양군, 경상북도 영주시, 경상북도 봉화군 3개시･군에 걸쳐있다. 경위도상 북위 36°50′-37°5 0′, 동경 128°20′-128°43′에 자리하고 있으며 식물지리학적으로 남방계와 북방계의 중간지점으로 생물다양성이 매우 풍부한 지역이다. 소백산국립공원 정밀식생도 분석결과 식생대분류 현황은 산지낙엽활엽수림 59.45%, 산지침엽수림 19.88%, 식재림 12.63%, 산지습성림 6.65%, 비식생 0.61%, 기타식생 0.29%, 아고산활엽수림 0.28%, 암벽식생 0.09%, 산지관목림 0.05%, 아고산침엽수림 0.04%, 하반림 0.03%, 산지초원식생 0.01%를 차지하는 것으로 확인되었다. 식생보전등급의 경우 1등급 3.9768%, 2등급 71.5063%, 3등급 10.9337%, 4등급 12.6907%, 5등급 0.8925%로 확인 되었다. NDVI값을 모두 4가지로 대분류기준, 영급기준, 경급기준, 보존등급 기준으로 정리한결과는 다음과 같다. 대 류기준으로 평균을 구하면 산지낙엽활엽수림(0.716), 산지습성림(0.716), 산지초원식생(0.691), 아고산활엽수림(0.689), 식재림(0.676), 암벽식생(0.673), 산지침엽수림(0.672), 하반림(0.654), 산지관목림(0.644), 아고산침엽수림(0.633), 기타식생(0.592), 비식생(0.515) 순서로 나탔났다. 영급기준으로는 7영급(0.719), 6영급(0.715), 5영급(0.698), 4영급(0.705), 3영급(0.680), 2영급(0.682), 1영급(0.626)으로 나타났으며, 경급기준 3경급(0.714), 2경급(0.702), 1경급(0.686)으로 나타났다. 보전등급기준으로 분류하여 평균을 구하였을때, 1등급(0.700), 2등급(0.709), 3등급(0.684), 4등급(0.676), 5등급(0.536)으로 나타났다. NDVI분석 결과 대분류기준에서는 산지낙엽활엽수림, 산지습성림이 높은 값을 나타내는 편으로 확인되었다. 영급과 경급 기준에서는 각각 영급과 경급이 높을 수록 NDVI 값이 높게 나타나는 경향을 확인하였으나 보전등급에서는 뚜렷한 경향을 나타내지 않았다.

연구는 초분광 영상을 이용하여 오이 및 수박과 같은 박과 묘의 수분함량을 추정하기 위해 수행되었다. 오이와 수박 묘 샘플에 수분 스트레스를 가한 후 초분광 영상 취득 시스템을 이용하여 오이와 수박 묘 잎을 촬영하여 반사율을 계산하였고, 건조기를 이용하여 해당 모종의 수분함량을 측정하였다. 마지막으로 영상의 반사율과 수분함량을 이용하여 부분최소제곱회귀분석을 통해 수분함량 추정모델을 개발하였다. 오이 묘 수분함량 추 정모델은 R2 0.73, RMSE 1.45%, RE 1.58%의 성능을 보였으며, 수박 묘 수분함량 추정모델은 R2 0.66, RMSE 1.06%, RE 1.14%의 성능을 보였다. 유효범위를 넘어가는 극단치를 제거하여 모델의 성능을 다시 분석한 결과, 오이 모델의 경우 R2 0.79, RMSE 1.10%, RE 1.20으로 상승하였다. 오이와 수박 묘를 함께 분석하여 모델을 제작한 결과, R2 0.67, RMSE 1.26, RE 1.36으 로 분석되었다. 오이 모델이 수박 모델보다 비교적 높은 성능을 보였는데, 이러한 원인은 오이의 수분함량 변이가 넓게 분포되어 있었기 때문이라고 판단된다. 또한 데이터셋에서 유효범위를 넘어가는 극단치를 제거한 결과 오이 모델의 정확도 및 정밀도가 상승하였다. 결론적으로 오이 및 수박 묘 수분함량 추정모델들의 추정선의 기울기 차가 크지 않고, 서로 교차되기 때문에 두 모델 들은 모두 수분함량을 추정하는데 있어서 유의한 것으로 판단된다. 또한 샘플의 변수가 넓게 분포된 변이를 갖는다면 추정모델의 정확도와 정밀도는 분명 상승할 것이며, 개선된 모델을 이용하면 저가형 센서를 개발하는데 활용 될 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

DMSP OLS 영상은 도시의 가로등과 건물과 같은 인공조명시설로부터 방출되는 야간 빛 에너지 세기 정보를 제공하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이 자료는 대상 지역의 시가화 건조지역의 면적과 공간 범위를 추정하는 연구에 활용되어왔다. 본 연구는 DMSP OLS 연간 영상자료를 활용하여 중국 랴오닝 성의 시가지의 시계열 변화, 도시개발의 특성, 그리고 도시개발의 방향성을 분석하였다. 본 연구의 결과에 따르면, 야간 인공위성 영상에서 도출된 랴오닝 성 시가지의 공간적 확산은 이성의 경제수준을 향상시키기 위한 경제발전 정책을 잘 반영하였다. 선양과 다롄 등 대도시는 지속적인 도시 성장을 경험하고 있으나, 대부분의 도시들은 최근에 이르러 도시개발이 이루어진 것을 알 수 있었다. 선양, 안산, 다롄 등 랴오닝 성의 대도시는 북동-남서 방향의 축 선상에 위치한다. 이러한 도시발달 축은 연도별 시가화 중심점의 공간 분포에서도 확인되었다. 이와 같은 결과에 따르면, DMSP OLS 영상자료는 도시화 관련 연구를 수행하기 위한 공간적 대안 자료로서 활용 가능성이 클 것으로 기대된다.

기존 연구들은 단순히 실물을 만지는 것만으로도 그 대상에 대해 심리적 소유감이 형성되고 그 가치를 높게 평가하게 되는 소유효과가 발생한다는 것을 발견하였다. 또한 단순히 만지는 상상을 하는 경우에도 실물을 만지는 것과 같은 효과가 나타난다는 것이 발견되었다. 기존의 촉각적 심상화 연구에서는 실물을 만지는 상상을 하라는 직접적인 지시에 따른 촉각적 심상화의 효과를 밝혔으나 본 연구에서는 실물을 만지는 상상을 하라는 직접적인 지시보다 촉각적 상상을 자연스럽게 유도할 수 있는 효과적인 방법을 탐색해보았다. 상상유도 조건을 상품에 대한 시각적, 촉각적 단서가 일치하는 다중감각 단서 일치 조건, 불일치하는 다중감각 단서 불일치 조건, 상상하라는 직접적 지시 조건, 통제조건으로 조작하여 촉각적 상상의 생생함, 물리적 통제감, 지각된 소유감, 구매의도에 미치는 효과를 비교하였다. 140명의 대학생을 대상으로 실험을 실시하여 분석한 결과, 시각적 단서와 촉각적 단서가 일치하도록 제공한 다중감각 단서는 촉각적 상상을 직접적으로 지시하였을 때보다도 효과적인 것으로 나타났으며 시각적, 촉각적 단서가 불일치한 경우는 효과적이지 않은 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구는 촉각적 심상화 연구에서 한걸음 나아간 시도이며 온라인 쇼핑과 같이 실물을 보거나 만질 수 없는 환경에서의 상품 제시 방법에 대한 함의점을 제공하는데 의의가 있다.

Shopping at bricks-and-mortar stores is considered highly experiential. An ability to experience and physically interact with a product is a key benefit of shopping at offline stores. In an online shopping context where sensory experience is absent, researchers have looked at how mental imagery as an alternative to in-store sensory experience impact consumer decision-making (Yoo & Kim, 2014). However the role of mental imagery has been largely overlooked in the context of offline store shopping. While it is true that shopping at offline stores facilitates sensory experience, evidence from cognitive neuropsychology literature supports that visual perception impacts visual mental imagery (Bartolomeo, 2002). Therefore, it is reasonable to posit that sensory experience in stores is related to mental imagery. Yet the relationship between actual sensory experience and mental imagery in the context of store shopping has not been studied. To fill a gap in the current literature, this study aims to examine the process by which sensory experience and mental imagery facilitate purchase decision-making in the context of offline stores. Based on the model of recursive relationships among consumers’ emotional, cognitive, perceptual and behavioral responses (Scherer, 2003) and a review of previous literature, this study posits that actual sensory experience and mental imagery related. It is further posited that both actual sensory experience and mental imagery influence consumers’ affective (anticipatory emotion) and cognitive responses (e.g., decision satisfaction, perceived ownership and decision satisfaction). This study employed an online survey in Korea. Apparel shoppers who shopped and purchased apparel at brick-and-mortar stores during the last six months were recruited. To facilitate a retrieval of in-store experiences, a series of questions about their specific shopping trip and purchases were asked at the beginning of survey. The current study consists of measurements adopted from the existing literature with adequate reliabilities. All the items were measured using a 7-point Likert-type scale. A total of 455 respondents completed the online survey questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were examined to assess reliabilities of the measures, and reliability coefficients were acceptable for all constructs (.78 ~ .92). Results of the SEM revealed that all the model-fit indexes exceeded their respective common acceptance levels, suggesting that the proposed model fitted the data well (2 = 627.38, df = 175; NFI = .92; IFI = .94; CFI = .94; RMSEA = .075). All the direct relationships among variables were significant except for the effect of sensory experience on perceived ownership, the effect of mental imagery on decision confidence, and the effect of perceived ownership on behavioral intention. This study provides new insights into consumer in-store shopping experiences and theoretical and practical implications. Sensory experience and mental imagery are complementary in facilitating consumer in-store shopping experiences. In addition to the importance of sensory experience, this study provides empirical evidence to support the vital role of mental imagery in the context of in-store shopping. Visualizing a situation through vivid mental imagery combined with actual sensory experience will lead consumers to positive shopping outcomes. Further research is warranted to better understand how to optimize actual sensory experience and mental imagery to offer excellent in-store experiences.

Have you ever seen images of an elegant woman dressed in period clothes, threatening to stab another woman through the neck; a model facing a leopard behind a mannequin hand; or a lady using a hook to fish a purse out of a pool, while a seemingly dead man is floating in the water? The descriptions of these scenes might sound dark and absurd, and provoke disgust or displeasure; but the fact is, these images have been used in real advertisements for prestigious fashion brands such as Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana, and were featured heavily in various fashion magazines. Recently, advertisers have sought to differentiate their products by using grotesque imagery in their ads as a strategy to get consumers’ attention and stimulate their curiosity. Although growing attention is being paid to ads that are not conventionally ‘pretty’, very little research has tried to empirically document the effect of grotesque imagery on the persuasiveness of luxury brand advertising, or unveil the psychological mechanism underlying the effect. The purpose of this research is to investigate how grotesque imagery used for luxury products appeal to consumers, and why the ads affect the consumers’ behavior. We empirically demonstrated that the grotesque imagery used to promote luxury products enhances consumers’ purchase intention because it facilitates consumers to better experience the brand by transporting them to the narratives that are portrayed in the ads. This process occurs because a correspondence between grotesque imagery and luxury branding generates the fit effect, which leads to fluent processing and feel right experience, and in turn induces engagement to the ad. Grotesque Advertisement Grotesque was the word indicating the style of ancient decoration that depicted fantastic combinations of human and animal forms, interwoven with strange fruits and flowers. The Cambridge Dictionary of English now defines grotesque as a general adjective that describes anything “very strange and unpleasant, especially in a ridiculous or slightly frightening way.” Evolutionary psychology provides us a hint for the reason why emotionally provocative and fear-evoking grotesque imagery captures consumers’ attention. The faster attention to negative stimuli than to positive stimuli is an automatic tendency developed as means of evolutionary adaptedness for survival because negative stimuli signal danger and cause alert to prompt defensive reaction (Ohman, Flykt and Esteves, 2001; Schoemaker 1996; Tan 2008). Another explanation for grotesque imagery’s attention grabbing power arises from our complex emotional system—i.e. human enjoys fearful horror or heartbreakingly sad films, because such negative emotions often stem from a challenging situation filled with risks, threats, and tension and generate an active interest in it (Bartsch, Apple and Stroach 2010; Oliver 1993; Tan 2008). Frightening, disgusting, or tragic emotions are mixed with a relief that comes after a perception of reality. Because human has an ability to distinguish their real life and the situation in the film or drama, we feel interests while being frightened or disgusted or heart-broken with pleasurable enjoyment (Tan 2008). Prior research by Phillips and McQuarrie (2010) brought to light the concept of grotesque in the context of fashion marketing. They described grotesque imagery using words with common etymological meanings—bizarre, surreal, deviant, absurd, discrepant, peculiar, and odd—and suggested that it could lead viewers to engage in the ad through transportation or immersion to the story world of the ad. Through the narrative transportation, grotesque imagery persuades consumers to better experience the brand featured in the ad. Based on their conceptualization of grotesque and its persuasive power, we empirically test whether grotesque imagery used in an ad might work as a strong trigger of fantasy, stimulating viewers to be transported into the narrative depicted in the ad image. Transportation Transportation is defined as ‘a convergent process where all mental systems and capacities become focused on events occurring in the narrative’ (Green and Block 2000, p. 701); it represents the extent of absorption into the narrative flow of the story as it unfolds. Transportation occurs whenever the consumer experiences a feeling of entering a world brought to mind by the story, because of their empathy for the story characters and imagination of the story narratives (Van Laer et al. 2014). Previous research suggests that transportation induces favorable attitudes toward the related product (Escalas 2004), and enhances the persuasiveness of advertising messages through the connection between the self and the ad content (Escalas 2004). Fit Between Grotesque Imagery and Luxury Branding The effect of fit, which means a relevant and logical connection between ad contents, has been widely studied in advertising and marketing literature. Fit messages are readily accessible, and processed through simple cognitive information processes. Macinnis and Park (1991) argue that the fit effect is caused by consumers’ perception of the stimuli in ads as a whole, rather than distinct individual elements. The processing of fit (vs nonfat) messages is easier, so more fluent (Lee and Aaker 2004; Labroo and Lee 2006), and fluent processing of fit messages offer a feel right experience (Camacho, Higgins, and Luger 2003; Lee, Keller, and Sternthal 2009). This subjective experience of feeling right increases engagement (Lee, Keller, and Sternthal 2009), willingness to pay, favorability of brand attitudes, and brand choice (Lee and Higgins 2009). In this research, we posit that persuasive effect of grotesque ads is more likely to occur when grotesque imagery is used for advertising luxury brands. Previous research explained the motivations to purchase luxury brands as scarcity, uniqueness, distance, high price (Dion and Arnould 2011; Dubois and Duquensne, 1993), and signaling of social status (Belk 1988; Zhou and Belk 2004; Han, Nunes, and Drèze 2010), which intersect with the characteristics of grotesque. People purchase luxury goods because they are relatively exclusive and limited, providing the consumer with more emotional distance from mass produced products (Hansen and Wänke 2011). In addition, positioning a brand using mythical and abstract concepts is known to be more effective in building strong prestigious brands (Arsel and Craig 2011). Because grotesque is perceived to be distant from reality, incongruent, and discrepant, these characteristics of luxury branding could overlap with that of grotesque. Furthermore, support for our prediction of a fit between grotesque imagery and luxury branding can be found in some other common features of both. Dion and Arnould (2011) argue that luxury brands possess hedonic appeals based on multisensorial pleasure, artistic aura, and charismatic stories which transport consumers into the magical world of the luxury brand. In support, Kim, Lloyd and Cervellon (2015) found that luxury brand advertising stimulates fantasy, and this is one of the dominant themes through which consumers were engaged with the brand. They showed that being part of the narratives in the ads, participants experienced escaping from their everyday lives, traveling around the fantasy world, and feeling that their myth, fantasies or dreams become real. As luxury brand advertising has a power to transport consumers into fantasy, grotesque imagery also carries consumers away into magical world through narrative transportation (Phillips and McQuarrie 2010). Hypotheses In light of the prior research, we posit that when grotesque imagery is used in ads for luxury brands, the fit generates feel right experience and easy and fluent processing of messages, because grotesque imagery and luxury brand advertising commonly have a power to transport viewers to fantasy world distant from reality. In addition, previous research has suggested positive downstream effects for transportation to enhanced brand experience. As the level of experience is enhanced, familiarity and satisfaction with the brand are heightened as well (Ha and Perks 2005). A deeper level of brand experience generates brand trust and accelerates loyalty to brands (Lglesias, Singh, and Batista-Goguet 2011). Thus, we propose the following hypotheses: H1: Luxury brand advertising with grotesque imagery will facilitate transportation, which will in turn enrich brand experience and increase purchase intention of the featured product. H2: There will be a perceived fit between grotesque imagery and luxury branding. H3: The fit between grotesque imagery and luxury branding will enrich brand experience which in turn enhance purchase intention. Study 1 The goal of Study 1 was to show that a grotesque ad is perceived to be better-matched with brands described as prestigious. Stimuli. We designed two versions of a print advertisement for a fictitious fashion brand to manipulate grotesque (vs. non-grotesque) ad style. We created the ad by modifying the content from an existing Jimmy Choo advertisement. The print ad featured a man, a girl, a car, and a handbag placed in the middle of a desert. In the grotesque imagery condition, the girl is placed in the truck of a car, appearing dead since the man sitting next to her is holding a shovel that he seemingly used to dig a hole in the ground to bury her. In the non-grotesque imagery condition, we replaced the shovel to a cane. In the prestige condition, we introduced the brand as one with a prestigious image similar to those of Louis Vuitton and Hermes. In the non-prestige condition, the brand was described as having a brand image similar to Zara and H&M. Procedure. 171 undergraduates (average age = 22.8 years; 171 females) participated in the study for a course credit. Participants were informed that they would be asked to complete an ad evaluation study, and were randomly assigned to be presented with one of the four print ads featuring a handbag. Participants were asked to indicate how likely they would be to purchase the handbag product (1 = very unlikely; 7 = very likely), and how well-matched the ad is to the product and the brand image on two items (‘the ad goes nicely together with the handbag’ ‘the ad looks well-matched with the image of the brand’; 1 = not at all ~ 7 = very much). Then, they completed two item transportation measures (‘While I was looking at the ad, I could easily picture the events in it taking place,’ ‘I had a vivid image of the man sitting next to the woman’; 1 = strongly disagree ~ 5 = strongly agree) adapted from Green and Brock (2000). Next, participants responded to twelve items of brand experience measure from Jos ̆ko Brakus, Schmitt, and Zarantonello (2009) (e.g. ‘This brand results in bodily experiences’, ‘This brand stimulates my curiosity and problem solving’; 1 = strongly disagree ~ 7 = strongly agree). They also rated how grotesque the ad was on seven items (‘bizarre,’ ‘surreal,’ ‘deviant,’ ‘absurd,’ ‘peculiar,’ ‘odd’, ‘discrepant’; 1 = not at all ~ 7 = very much). To rule out an affective account for participants’ evaluation, we assessed participants’ mood (1 = negative mood, bad mood, sad, irritated ~ 7 = positive mood, good mood, happy, relaxed) and their arousal (1 = not at all aroused ~ 7 = very aroused). Results: Perceived fit. The two perceived fit items were averaged to form a fit index. A two (ad style: grotesque vs. non-grotesque) by two (brand reputation: prestige vs. non-prestige) between-subjects ANOVA revealed a significant ad style by brand reputation interaction effect (F(1, 167) = 5.69, p = .018). Planned contrasts indicated that, in the grotesque imagery condition, participants rated the ad as more well-matched when the product was described as a prestigious brand (M = 4.14) than when it was a non-prestigious brand (M = 3.53; F(1, 167) = 4.15, p = .043). In contrast, in the non-grotesque imagery condition, participants rated the ad as less well-matched when it was described as a prestigious brand (M = 3.60) rather than non-prestigious brand (M = 4.00), but the effect was not significant (F(1, 167) = 1.79, p = .183). Because the perceived fit results confirmed that participants rated the ad as more well-matched when the product was described as a prestigious brand, we created an imagery fit variable coding the well-matched conditions (grotesque imagery for prestige brand and non-grotesque imagery for non-prestige brand) to be 1, and the less well-matched conditions (grotesque imagery for non-prestige brand and non-grotesque imagery for prestige brand) to be 0. As predicted, an ANOVA revealed that the well-matched conditions showed higher perceived fit (F(1, 169) = 5.79, p = .017), such that those in the matched condition (M = 4.07) rated higher on perceived fit than those in the mismatched condition (M = 3.57). Transportation. Participants’ ratings on the two transportation items were averaged to form transportation scores. A two way ANOVA revealed a significant ad style (grotesque vs. control) by brand reputation (prestige vs. non-prestige) interaction effect on transportation (F(1, 167) = 4.35, p = .039). Planned contrasts indicated that, in the grotesque condition, participants reported higher transportation scores when the product was described as a prestigious brand (M = 3.22) than a non-prestigious brand (M = 2.78; F(1, 167) = 4.28, p = .040). In contrast, in the non-grotesque condition, participants reported lower transportation scores when it was described as a prestigious brand (M = 2.62) rather than a non-prestigious brand (M = 2.81), but the effect was not significant (F(1, 167) = .78, p = .378). Mediation Effect of Transportation on Brand Experience. Participants’ ratings on the brand experience scale were averaged to form brand experience scores. A series of regressions showed that the ad style by brand reputation interaction activated transportation (β = .632, p = .034), which then yielded greater brand experience (β = .360, p <.001). The bootstrap procedure for a conditional mediation model (PROCESS Model 7; Hayes 2013) using 5,000 samples revealed a significant conditional indirect effect of grotesque imagery on brand experience through activation of transportation when the product was described as a prestigious brand (95% CI [.067, .390]). This conditional indirect effect was not significant when the product was described as a non-prestigious brand (95% CI [–.189, .138]). Multiple Mediation Effect. Our prediction was that grotesque imagery used in luxury brand advertising would lead to higher perceived fit, which facilitates narrative transportation and in turn enhances brand experience leading to greater purchase intention. Multiple mediation analyses using PROCESS Model 6 (Hayes 2013) with 5,000 resamples confirmed that the perceived fit → transportation → brand experience path mediated the effect of imagery fit on purchase intention. The imagery fit variable was created as a binary variable (1 = grotesque imagery for prestige brand or non-grotesque imagery for non-prestige brand; 0 = otherwise). First, the path from imagery fit to perceived fit was significant and positive ( = .504, p = .017), as was the path from perceived fit to transportation ( = .149, p = .007), the path from transportation to brand experience ( = .326, p < .001), and the path from brand experience to purchase intention ( = .344, p = .014). The 95% CI of the bootstrap procedure ([.001, .030]) confirmed that the indirect effect of imagery fit on purchase intention through the three mediators—perceived fit, transportation and brand experience—was significant. Study 2 The objective of Study 2 was to test the robustness of the mediating role of transportation for the effect of grotesque imagery fit with luxury brand. In addition, we checked whether the grotesque manipulation affected the extent to which participants perceived the brand as luxurious. Stimuli. Two versions of print advertisement were created to manipulate grotesque (vs. non-grotesque) ad style by modifying an existing Dolce & Gabbana ad campaign. The print ad featured two women, a man, and handbags placed on the floor of a classically decorated room. In the grotesque imagery condition, one of the girls wearing a ball gown is holding a knife and seemingly about to stab another girl. In the non-grotesque imagery condition, we replaced the knife with a bottle of perfume. All participants were provided with the print ad that contained a cover story about the ad evaluation task, describing the brand as either a prestigious brand that is similar to Louis Vuitton and Hermes or a brand with an image that is similar to Zara and H&M. Procedure. 165 undergraduate students (average age = 23.8; 66 females) were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions. Participants were first asked to indicate how likely they would be to purchase the featured handbags (1 = very unlikely; 7 = very likely). Then, they responded to two transportation items (‘I wanted to learn how the story in the ad ended’, ‘The story in the ad affected me emotionally’, ‘I found myself thinking of ways the story in the ad could have turned out differently’; 1 = not at all ~ 5 = very much). Next, participants responded to the same twelve-item brand experience scale, seven item grotesque measure, four mood items, and an arousal item used in Study 1. In study 2, they were also asked to rate their impression of the product as luxurious, prestigious, and high class (1 = not at all; 7 = very much). Results. The grotesque manipulation did not affect the extent to which participants perceived the brand as luxurious, and when the product was described as a prestigious brand, participants in the grotesque condition reported higher transportation scores than those in the non-grotesque condition. Multiple mediation analyses reconfirmed that the transportation → brand experience path mediated the effect of imagery fit on purchase intention. General Discussion Through two studies, we demonstrated that grotesque ads can be effective in persuading consumers to purchase luxury fashion items. We found that grotesque ads trigger transportation when the brand is described as prestigious, enriching brand experience, and in turn heightening consumers’ purchase intention.