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Capella University Doctoral Psychology Study

What Makes NFT Digital Art Authentic?

Investigating authenticity perceptions, psychological contagion, and marketplace essence in NFT digital fine art.

Commitment

70–90 Min Total

Confidentiality

100% Anonymized

Incentive

2 Souvenir NFTs

Vanguards of metaverse authenticity, digital fine art collectors, curators, and artists are unlocking neoteric dimensions in artworld psychology. Share your experiences in a one-on-one video session examining blockchain provenance, psychological essence, and pixel-equivalent copies.

Explore 4-Step Process Email Researcher

Mobius Metaverse

Study Research Graphic & Participant Memento

Souvenir NFT

Psychology

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NFTs

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Metaverse

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Digital Art

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Perception

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Contagion

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Authenticity

Sample Inclusivity

Who We Are Recruiting

We invite experienced participants from across the digital fine art ecosystem to contribute their perspectives to this doctoral inquiry.

Target Role 01

Art Collectors

Collectors with active fine art portfolios evaluating smart contract provenance, artistic uniqueness, and marketplace value in digital spaces.

Inquiry Focus: How immutable transaction ledgers and pixel duplication influence your personal feeling of owning an original.

Apply as Collector

Target Role 02

Gallerists & Curators

Exhibition directors and curators bridging traditional gallery institutions and decentralized Web3 exhibition environments.

Inquiry Focus: Boundary demarcation between fine visual art and speculative commercial collectibles or PFP hype.

Apply as Gallerist

Target Role 03

Digital Fine Artists

Contemporary visual creators investigating how personal essence, intentionality, and values authenticity transmit through digital media.

Inquiry Focus: How an artist's personal touch, presence, and creative integrity are experienced through code and files.

Apply as Artist

Interactive Participant Eligibility Check

Pre-Screening Verification

7+ NFT Transactions

I have bought, sold, or created at least 7 human-made digital fine art NFTs verifiable via blockchain ledger.

Desktop / Laptop Zoom

I have access to a desktop or laptop computer for the 60-minute Zoom session (cell phones are excluded).

Fine Art Distinction

My portfolio consists of visual fine art (paintings, digital photos) rather than commercial PFP collectibles or AI-art.

Please check all three boxes above to confirm your baseline qualification.

Proceed to Step 1: Informed Consent

IRB Compliance Protocol

The 4-Step Participant Flow

Adhering strictly to Capella IRB standards, eligibility screening is separated from demographic data collection to preserve participant autonomy.

Informed Consent

Review research aims, Belmont Report protections, and anonymization protocols. Certified via electronic signature.

Google Forms + BoloSign

Screening & Ledger

Submit between 7 and 15 public blockchain hyperlinks verifying past or present ownership of human-created NFT digital fine art.

Public Blockchain Ledger Verification

Schedule & Profile

Select your 60-minute Zoom interview timeslot. Post-consent participant background and marketplace role context are collected.

Google Bookable Appointment

Confirmation & Prep

Brief pre-interview check-in call. Prepare portfolio artwork files (720p+) for shared screen engagement during the photo-elicitation interview.

Direct Phone Check-in & Follow-up

Sample Parameters

Eligibility Criteria

To investigate fine art perceptions rigorously and prevent imposter data, participants must satisfy clear inclusion boundaries.

✓ Mandatory Inclusions

✓ Visual Fine Art Focus: Human-created digital visual art (paintings, photographic compositions, illustrations suitable for a gallery wall).
✓ Transaction Threshold: Active collector, gallerist, or artist with at least 7 verifiable NFT digital fine art transactions.
✓ Verifiable Ledger Record: Public blockchain record, smart contract metadata, or proven digital certificate of authenticity.
✓ Portfolio Access: Able to reference portfolio files (720p or greater) during the interview for photo-elicitation recall.
✓ Hardware Requirement: Desktop or laptop computer with Zoom capability (ensures visual resolution for stimulus slides).
✓ Age Requirement: 18 years of age or older.

✕ Specific Exclusions

✕ No Profile-Picture (PFP) Collectibles: Commercial algorithmic collectibles (e.g., Bored Ape, CryptoPunks) are excluded.
✕ No Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art: Algorithmic/generative AI art is excluded to isolate human essentialism and contagion.
✕ No Purely Physical Tokens: Physical artworks lacking a dedicated digital tokenized counterpart are excluded.
✕ No Mobile Phones as Interview Device: Zoom interviews cannot be conducted on a cell phone screen.
✕ No Gaming or Fashion Assets: Virtual wearables, game items, or speculative utility passes are excluded.
✕ Unverifiable Provenance: Assets lacking public smart contract transaction verification cannot be accepted.

Study Artwork & Participant Incentives

Mobius Metaverse & Participant Mementos

Investigating the liminal fusion of physical and digital spheres through Newman’s (2019) psychological essentialism framework.

Mobius Metaverse

Study Research Graphic & Participant Memento

Memento Edition

Token of Gratitude

To honor your valuable time and contribution to psychological science, two digital art NFT editions will be transferred to your wallet upon conclusion of the study and member-checking:

Souvenir 1: Mobius Metaverse

An edition of the study flyer artwork symbolizing the continuous surface between physical and digital reality.

Study Artwork

Souvenir 2: Study Related Artwork [Title Redacted]

An edition of a study-related digital artwork provided as a secondary research memento at the conclusion of participation.

* In accordance with IRB research guidelines, these digital art NFTs have little to no monetary value and are provided entirely as symbolic souvenirs.

Doctoral Candidate

Marc Bridger

Ph.D. Candidate in General Psychology • Capella University

If you collect NFT digital fine art and would like to learn more, please explore the eligibility criteria and participant journey outlined above or contact Marc Bridger directly.

Marc Bridger holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Studio Art from the University of South Florida and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Painting from Savannah College of Art and Design. His doctoral dissertation explores cognitive psychology, psychological essentialism, and authenticity perceptions in the emergent metaverse.

pbridger@capellauniversity.edu marcbridger@gmail.com 727.505.3915

Know a Collector or Gallerist?

Pioneering art collectors, curators, and artists can help shape psychological understanding of metaverse perception and NFTs. If you know someone who qualifies, please consider sharing this portal.