Most people prefer smoothly curved shapes over more angular shapes. We investigated the origin of this effect using abstract shapes and implicit measures of semantic association and preference. In Experiment 1 we used a multidimensional Implicit Association Test (IAT) to verify the strength of the association of curved and angular polygons with danger (safe vs. danger words), valence (positive vs. negative words) and gender (female vs. male names). Results showed that curved polygons were associated with safe and positive concepts and with female names, whereas angular polygons were associated with danger and negative concepts and with male names. Experiment 2 used a different implicit measure, which avoided any need to categorise the stimuli. Using a revised version of the Stimulus Response Compatibility (SRC) task we tested with a stick figure (i.e., the manikin) approach and avoidance reactions to curved and angular polygons. We found that RTs for approaching vs. avoiding angular polygons did not differ, even in the condition where the angles were more pronounced. By contrast participants were faster and more accurate when moving the manikin towards curved shapes. Experiment 2 suggests that preference for curvature cannot derive entirely from an association of angles with threat. We conclude that smoothly curved contours make these abstract shapes more pleasant. Further studies are needed to clarify the nature of such a preference.

Little is known about how we perceive the size and shape of objects in far peripheral vision. Observations made during an artistic study of visual space suggest that objects appear smaller and compressed in the periphery compared with central vision. To test this, we conducted three experiments. In Experiment 1, we asked participants to draw how a set of peripheral discs appeared when viewed peripherally without time or eye movement constraints. In Experiment 2, we used the method of constant stimuli to measure when a briefly presented peripheral stimulus appeared bigger or smaller compared with a central fixated one. In Experiment 3, we measured how accurate participants were in discriminating shapes presented briefly in the periphery. In Experiment 1, the peripheral discs were reported as appearing significantly smaller than the central disc, and as having an elliptical or polygonal contour. In Experiment 2, participants judged the size of peripheral discs as being significantly smaller when compared with the central disc across most of the peripheral field, and in Experiment 3, participants were quite accurate in reporting the shape of the peripheral object, except in the far periphery. Our results show that objects in the visual periphery are perceived as diminished in size when presented for long and brief exposures, suggesting diminution is an intrinsic feature of the structure of the visual space. Shape distortions, however, are reported only with longer exposures.

Preference for curvature has been demonstrated using many types of stimuli, but it remains an open question whether curvature plays a relevant role in responses to original artworks. To investigate this, a novel set of paintings was created, consisting of three variations-curved, sharp-angled, and mixed-of the same 16 indeterminate subjects. The present research aimed to differentiate between liking and wanting decisions. We assessed liking both online (Study 1) and in the lab (Study 2, Task 2), using a continuous slider and a dichotomous forced choice, respectively. In both tasks, participants assigned higher ratings to the curved compared to the sharp-angled version of the paintings. Similarly, when participants were explicitly asked if they wanted to take the paintings home, they assigned higher wanting ratings to the curved version (Study 2, Task 3). However, when they were asked to act as a curator selecting the works they wanted for their gallery (Study 2, Task 4) and to make a physical effort to visually consume the painting (implicit wanting; Study 2, Task 1), no significant difference was found. Finally, we found that implicit wanting decisions did not predict liking for paintings, while liking predicted explicit wanting of the artworks in both the home and art contexts. This confirmed that it is possible to differentiate between liking and wanting responses to artistically relevant stimuli. We conclude that this theoretical distinction helps to explain previous conflicting results on the curvature effect, establishing a new line of research in the field of empirical aesthetics.

There is evidence of a preference for visual symmetry. This is true from mate selection in the animal world to the aesthetic appreciation of works of art. It has been proposed that this preference is due to processing fluency, which engenders positive affect. But is visual symmetry pleasant? Evidence is mixed as explicit preferences show that this is the case. In contrast, implicit measures show that visual symmetry does not spontaneously engender positive affect but it depends on participants intentionally assessing visual regularities. In four experiments using variants of the affective priming paradigm, we investigated when visual symmetry engenders positive affect. Findings showed that, when no Stroop-like effects or post-lexical mechanisms enter into play, visual symmetry spontaneously elicits positive affect and results in affective congruence effects.

A comparison between preference judgments of curvature and 2 sharpness in architectural façades 3 4 Word count: 5.976 (including bibliography: 7.547) Curvature and sharpness in architectural façades 6 A comparison between preference judgments of curvature and 7 sharpness in architectural façades 8 Can curvature drive preference for architectural façades and their perceived 9 familiarity, complexity, stability or approachability? In this study we aimed to 10 investigate if the well-known preference for curvature can be extended to the 11 architectural domain. We generated four different versions of the same reference 12 building, varying only the amount of curvature of the façade. Twenty-four 13 participants 1) made a preference forced-choice task between pairs of stimuli; 2) 14 ranked all stimuli from the most to the least preferred; 3) evaluated each stimulus 15 on different psychological variables. Multidimensional scaling on forced choices 16 showed that the curved façade was the most preferred. Multidimensional 17 unfolding on the ranking task showed that the majority expressed higher 18 preferences for the curved facades compared to sharp-angled and rectilinear ones. 19Ratings on different psychological variables gave supporting evidence for 20 curvature significantly influencing liking and approaching judgments. We then 21 processed the stimuli with a dynamical model of the visual cortex and a model 22 that characterises discomfort in terms of adherence to the statistics of natural 23 images. Results from these image analyses matched behavioural data. We discuss 24 the implications of the findings on our understanding of human preferences, 25 which are intrinsically dynamic and influenced by context and experience. 26

Following its discovery in fifteenth-century Italy, linear perspective has often been hailed as the most accurate method of projecting three-dimensional visual space onto a two-dimensional picture plane. However, when we survey the history of European art it is evident that few artists fully complied with its mathematical rules, despite many of them being rigorously trained in its procedures. In this paper, we will consider how artists have actually depicted visual space, and present evidence that images created according to a "natural" perspective (NP) used by artists are judged as better representations of visual space than those created using standard linear (LP) and curvilinear fisheye (FP) projective geometries. In this study, we built a real three-dimensional scene and produced photographs of the scene in three different perspectives (NP, LP and FP). An online experiment in which we asked people to rank the perspectives in order of preference showed a clear preference for NP compared to the FP and LP. In a second experiment, participants were asked to view the real scene and rate each perspective on a range of psychological variables. Results showed that NP was the most preferred and the most effective in depicting the physical space naturally. We discuss the implications of these results and the advantages and limitations of our approach for studying the global metric and geometrical structure of visual space.

No abstract

We present a new and immersive form of imaging technology, Fovography, which has shown measurable benefits in the broadening of attention. Narrow fixation on screens, such as tablets and smartphones, and resultant neglect of peripheral visual field may be harmful to visual perception and cognitive functioning, with consequent effects on psychological health and wellbeing. Many immersive technologies and virtual reality systems, which narrow the focus of attention to the central visual area, are used in clinics, surgical theatres, treatments and training, and may be doing harm as well as good. We aim to improve existing imaging technologies, which are based on linear perspective, by developing more perceptually natural technologies that are modelled on human perception and awareness, and incorporate peripheral sensory information for improved naturalistic perspective. We have empirically tested the benefits of Fovography technology in the areas of attention modulation, user preference, immersion, empathy, visual comfort and spatial presence. Potential applications include tools for mindfulness training, spatial awareness, perceptual psychology, and other medical or therapeutic uses. The benefits of our approach include greater reported wellbeing due to decreased anxiety and fixation.