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Individual impacts are not fixed or permanent in our conceptualisation. Often,
they deteriorate over time, but in some cases they might increase with further
experience and reflection. Thus, for example, a captivating concert might lead to
strong ‘experienced impacts’ initially, but nonetheless soon fade from memory.
Contrariwise, readers might find that they keep coming back to a poem that
initially seemed unimpressive and only retrospectively realise what an impact it
has had on their lives.
We assume that the more typical case is a strong initial impact, followed by a
gradual decline, with the possibility of occasional spikes of extended impact if the
work enhances subsequent cultural experiences. Figure 6 illustrates one example
of how the individual impacts of a single event might develop over time. The rate
at which impact deteriorates is likely to be unique to each cultural event and each
individual who experiences it, giving rise to a variety of ‘impact patterns’ of the
sort shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6 Impact pattern of a cultural event
Attend performance
Post-performance
audience talk-back
CONCURRENT
IMPACTS
EXPERIENCED
IMPACTS
Read a review (next day)
Attend a performance of
another work by the
same composer
EXTENDED IMPACTS
Studies that ask respondents about the most important cultural experiences in
their lives capture the extended impacts of events. These are not necessarily the
ones that had the greatest impact initially; however, for some reason, these events
continue to play an important role in the respondents’ lives, long after the event,
perhaps linked to contextual factors such as national identity or even brain
chemistry.
Over time, the long tails of extended impact of multiple experiences add up,
giving rise to the notion of ‘cumulative impacts’ (Walmsley 2013, 83, 85). This
is the sum of all of the residual impacts that an individual has experienced, as
shown in Figure 7. It is the cumulative impact of a lifetime of cultural activities
that may yield long-term outcomes such as a stronger sense of social belonging,
an expanded worldview or a greater sense of well-being.
Measuring Individual Impact: Qualitative Research 93
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences