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Husselman TA, Filho E, Zugic LW, Threadgold E, Ball LJ. Stimulus Complexity Can Enhance Art Appreciation: Phenomenological and Psychophysiological Evidence for the Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking. J Intell 2024; 12:42. [PMID: 38667709 PMCID: PMC11051202 DOI: 10.3390/jintelligence12040042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
We tested predictions deriving from the "Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking" (PIA Model), whereby aesthetic preferences arise from two fluency-based processes: an initial automatic, percept-driven default process and a subsequent perceiver-driven reflective process. One key trigger for reflective processing is stimulus complexity. Moreover, if meaning can be derived from such complexity, then this can engender increased interest and elevated liking. Experiment 1 involved graffiti street-art images, pre-normed to elicit low, moderate and high levels of interest. Subjective reports indicated a predicted enhancement in liking across increasing interest levels. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings during image viewing revealed different patterns of alpha power in temporal brain regions across interest levels. Experiment 2 enforced a brief initial image-viewing stage and a subsequent reflective image-viewing stage. Differences in alpha power arose in most EEG channels between the initial and deliberative viewing stages. A linear increase in aesthetic liking was again seen across interest levels, with different patterns of alpha activity in temporal and occipital regions across these levels. Overall, the phenomenological data support the PIA Model, while the physiological data suggest that enhanced aesthetic liking might be associated with "flow-feelings" indexed by alpha activity in brain regions linked to visual attention and reducing distraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy-Ann Husselman
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgow, 62 Hillhead Street, Glasgow G12 8QB, UK;
| | - Edson Filho
- Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, Boston University, 2 Silber Way, Boston, MA 02215, USA;
| | - Luca W. Zugic
- School of Psychology & Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 8TY, UK (E.T.)
| | - Emma Threadgold
- School of Psychology & Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 8TY, UK (E.T.)
| | - Linden J. Ball
- School of Psychology & Humanities, University of Central Lancashire, Fylde Road, Preston PR1 8TY, UK (E.T.)
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Crolic C, Janiszewski C. Cognitive and affective reflection increases appreciation for less preferred subcategories of experiential goods. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1271516. [PMID: 38179491 PMCID: PMC10764625 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1271516] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Attitudes, particularly negative attitudes toward experiential goods, are difficult to change. As a result, people tend to choose and consume experiential goods from their preferred subcategory (e.g., prefer impressionist art so primarily choose to view impressionist paintings) while disregarding options from less preferred subcategories (e.g., ignore cubist or surrealist paintings). This research investigates the consequences of reflection while consuming experiential goods from less preferred subcategories. Namely, an initial, negative reflexive response can be overridden by a reflective appraisal which increases appreciation for experiential goods from less preferred subcategories. Six studies show how a reflective appraisal differs from a reflexive response (i.e., a reflective appraisal has more cognitive and affective thoughts than evaluative thoughts, respectively), that reflective appraisals can supplant reflexive responses to experiential goods in less preferred subcategories, and that reflective appreciation training encourages reflective appraisal. A reflective appraisal improves the intent to consume, enhances appreciation of the consumption, and increases the consumption of novel experiential goods in less preferred subcategories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cammy Crolic
- Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Chris Janiszewski
- Warrington College of Business Administration, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States
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Schneider TM, Carbon CC. The Episodic Prototypes Model (EPM): On the nature and genesis of facial representations. Iperception 2021; 12:20416695211054105. [PMID: 34876971 PMCID: PMC8645314 DOI: 10.1177/20416695211054105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Faces undergo massive changes over time and life events. We need a mental representation
which is flexible enough to cope with the existing visual varieties, but which is also
stable enough to be the basis for valid recognition. Two main theoretical frameworks exist
to describe facial representations: prototype models assuming one central item comprising
all visual experiences of a face, and exemplar models assuming single representations of
each visual experience of a face. We introduce a much more ecological valid model dealing
with episodic prototypes (the Episodic Prototypes Model—EPM), where faces are represented
by a low number of prototypes that refer to specific Episodes of Life (EoL, e.g., early
adulthood, mature age) during which the facial appearance shows only moderate variation.
Such an episodic view of mental representation allows for efficient storage, as the number
of needed prototypes is relatively low, and it allows for the needed variation within a
prototype that keeps the everyday and steadily ongoing changes across a certain period of
time. Studies 1–3 provide evidence that facial representations are highly dependent on
temporal aspects which is in accord with EoL, and that individual learning history
generates the structure and content of respective prototypes. In Study 4, we used implicit
measures (RT) in a face verification task to investigate the postulated power of the EPM.
We could demonstrate that episodic prototypes clearly outperformed visual depictions of
exhaustive prototypes, supporting the general idea of our approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobias Matthias Schneider
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.,Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Germany.,Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany.,Research Group EPÆG (Ergonomics, Psychological Æsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Germany.,Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
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4
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Liu S, Zhang W, He X, Tang X, Lai S, Dai Z. The Role of Understanding on Architectural Beauty: Evidence From the Impact of Semantic Description on the Aesthetic Evaluation of Architecture. Psychol Rep 2021; 125:1438-1456. [PMID: 33757372 DOI: 10.1177/00332941211002135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
There is evidence that greater aesthetic experience can be linked to artworks when their corresponding meanings can be successfully inferred and understood. Modern cultural-expo architecture can be considered a form of artistic creation and design, and the corresponding design philosophy may be derived from representational objects or abstract social meanings. The present study investigates whether cultural-expo architecture with an easy-to-understand architectural appearance design is perceived as more beautiful and how architectural photographs and different types of descriptions of architectural appearance designs interact and produce higher aesthetic evaluations. The results showed an obvious aesthetic preference for cultural-expo architecture with an easy-to-understand architectural appearance design (Experiment 1). Moreover, we found that the aesthetic rating score of architectural photographs accompanied by an abstract description was significantly higher than that of those accompanied by a representational description only under the difficult-to-understand design condition (Experiment 2). The results indicated that people preferred cultural-expo architecture with an easy-to-understand architectural appearance design due to a greater understanding of the design, providing further evidence that abstract descriptions can provide supplementary information and explanation to enhance the sense of beauty of abstract cultural-expo architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Wei Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Xianyou He
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P. R. China; Key Laboratory of Chinese Learning and International Promotion of South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Xiaoxiang Tang
- School of Architecture & State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building Science, Guangdong Engineering & Technology Research Center for Modern Architecture Design, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Shuxian Lai
- Preschool Education Guidance Center of Tianhe District, Public Kindergarten of Guangzhou Government, Guangzhou, P. R. China
| | - Zixu Dai
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, South China Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, P. R. China
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Carbon CC. Ecological Art Experience: How We Can Gain Experimental Control While Preserving Ecologically Valid Settings and Contexts. Front Psychol 2020; 11:800. [PMID: 32499736 PMCID: PMC7242732 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
One point that definitions of art experience disagree about is whether this kind of experience is qualitatively different from experiences relating to ordinary objects and everyday contexts. Here, we follow an ecological approach that assumes art experience has its own specific quality, which is, not least, determined by typical contexts of art presentation. Practically, we systematically observe typical phenomena of experiencing art in ecologically valid or real-world settings such as museum contexts. Based on evidence gained in this manner, we emulate and implement essential properties of ecological contexts (e.g., free choice of viewing distance and time, large scale of artworks, and exhibition-like context) in controlled laboratory experiments. We found, for instance, that for large-scale paintings by Pollock and Rothko, preferred viewing distances as well as distances inducing the most intense art experiences - including Aesthetic Aha insights - were much larger than typical viewing distances realized in laboratory studies. Following Carbon's (2019) terminology of measurement strategies of art experience, the combined use of "Path #1" (real-world context) and "Path #2" (mildly controlled, still ecologically valid settings and contexts) enables us to understand and investigate much closer what is really happening when people experience art.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany
- Forschungsgruppe EPAEG (Ergonomics, Psychological AEsthetics, Gestalt), Bamberg, Germany
- Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany
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Schifferstein HN, Wehrle T, Carbon CC. Consumer expectations for vegetables with typical and atypical colors: The case of carrots. Food Qual Prefer 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2018.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Faerber SJ, Kaufmann JM, Leder H, Martin EM, Schweinberger SR. The Role of Familiarity for Representations in Norm-Based Face Space. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155380. [PMID: 27168323 PMCID: PMC4864226 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the norm-based version of the multidimensional face space model (nMDFS, Valentine, 1991), any given face and its corresponding anti-face (which deviates from the norm in exactly opposite direction as the original face) should be equidistant to a hypothetical prototype face (norm), such that by definition face and anti-face should bear the same level of perceived typicality. However, it has been argued that familiarity affects perceived typicality and that representations of familiar faces are qualitatively different (e.g., more robust and image-independent) from those for unfamiliar faces. Here we investigated the role of face familiarity for rated typicality, using two frequently used operationalisations of typicality (deviation-based: DEV), and distinctiveness (face in the crowd: FITC) for faces of celebrities and their corresponding anti-faces. We further assessed attractiveness, likeability and trustworthiness ratings of the stimuli, which are potentially related to typicality. For unfamiliar faces and their corresponding anti-faces, in line with the predictions of the nMDFS, our results demonstrate comparable levels of perceived typicality (DEV). In contrast, familiar faces were perceived much less typical than their anti-faces. Furthermore, familiar faces were rated higher than their anti-faces in distinctiveness, attractiveness, likability and trustworthiness. These findings suggest that familiarity strongly affects the distribution of facial representations in norm-based face space. Overall, our study suggests (1) that familiarity needs to be considered in studies of mental representations of faces, and (2) that familiarity, general distance-to-norm and more specific vector directions in face space make different and interactive contributions to different types of facial evaluations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella J. Faerber
- DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Jürgen M. Kaufmann
- DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Helmut Leder
- Department for Basic Psychological Research and Research Methods, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Eva Maria Martin
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Stefan R. Schweinberger
- DFG Research Unit Person Perception, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
- Department of General Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
- Michael Stifel Center Jena for Data-Driven and Simulation Science, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Jena, Germany
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When Challenging Art Gets Liked: Evidences for a Dual Preference Formation Process for Fluent and Non-Fluent Portraits. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0131796. [PMID: 26309095 PMCID: PMC4550383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Although fluency theory predominates psychological research on human aesthetics, its most severe limitation may be to explain why art that challenges or even violates easy processing can nevertheless be aesthetically rewarding. We discuss long-standing notions on art’s potential to offer mental growth opportunities and to tap into a basic epistemic predisposition that hint at a fluency counteracting aesthetic pleasure mechanism. Based on divergent strands of literature on empirical, evolutionary, and philosophical aesthetics, as well as research on disfluency, we presumed that challenging art requires deliberate reflexive processing at the level of “aboutness” in order to be experientially pleasing. Here, we probed such a cognitive mastering mechanism, achieved by iterative cycles of elaboration, as predicted by our model of aesthetic experiences. For the study, two kinds of portraits were applied, one associable to a high fluency and one to a high stimulation potential (according to results of an extensive rating study). In Experiment 1, we provided a repeated evaluation task, which revealed a distinctive preference effect for challenging portraits that was absent in the visual exposition conditions of a familiarity and a mere exposure task (Experiment 2). In a follow-up task (Experiment 3) this preference effect was observed with a novel and more encompassing pool of portraits, which corroborated its stability and robustness. In an explorative stimulus-transfer task (Experiment 4), we investigated the presumed underlying mechanism by testing whether the observed effect would generalize onto novel portraits of the same artist-specific styles. Results discounted an alternative interpretation of a perceptual adaptation effect and hinted at meaning-driven mental activity. Conjointly, findings for inexperienced viewers were indicative of an elaboration based mastering mechanism that selectively operated for mentally challenging portraits. Moreover, findings were in line with a dual-process view of human preference formation with art. Theoretical implications and boundary conditions are discussed.
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Nilsson J, Axelsson Ö. ATTRIBUTES OF AESTHETIC QUALITY USED BY TEXTILE CONSERVATORS IN EVALUATING CONSERVATION INTERVENTIONS ON MUSEUM COSTUMES. Percept Mot Skills 2015; 121:199-218. [PMID: 26108062 DOI: 10.2466/27.24.pms.121c10x7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Aesthetic quality is central to textile conservators when evaluating a conservation method. However, the literature on textile conservation chiefly focuses on physical properties, and little is known about what factors determine aesthetic quality according to textile conservators. The latter was explored through two experiments. Experiment 1 explored the underlying attributes of aesthetic quality of textile conservation interventions. Experiment 2 explored the relationships between these attributes and how well they predicted aesthetic quality. Rank-order correlation analyses revealed two latent factors called Coherence and Completeness. Ordinal regression analysis revealed that Coherence was the most important predictor of aesthetic quality. This means that a successful conservation intervention is visually well-integrated with the textile item in terms of the material and method.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna Nilsson
- 1 Department of Conservation, University of Gothenburg and Department of the Collections, The Royal Armory and Skokloster Castle with The Hallwyl Museum Foundation, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Östen Axelsson
- 2 Gösta Ekman Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Stockholm University
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Muth C, Raab MH, Carbon CC. The stream of experience when watching artistic movies. Dynamic aesthetic effects revealed by the Continuous Evaluation Procedure (CEP). Front Psychol 2015; 6:365. [PMID: 25873907 PMCID: PMC4379740 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Research in perception and appreciation is often focused on snapshots, stills of experience. Static approaches allow for multidimensional assessment, but are unable to catch the crucial dynamics of affective and perceptual processes; for instance, aesthetic phenomena such as the “Aesthetic-Aha” (the increase in liking after the sudden detection of Gestalt), effects of expectation, or Berlyne's idea that “disorientation” with a “promise of success” elicits interest. We conducted empirical studies on indeterminate artistic movies depicting the evolution and metamorphosis of Gestalt and investigated (i) the effects of sudden perceptual insights on liking; that is, “Aesthetic Aha”-effects, (ii) the dynamics of interest before moments of insight, and (iii) the dynamics of complexity before and after moments of insight. Via the so-called Continuous Evaluation Procedure (CEP) enabling analogous evaluation in a continuous way, participants assessed the material on two aesthetic dimensions blockwise either in a gallery or a laboratory. The material's inherent dynamics were described via assessments of liking, interest, determinacy, and surprise along with a computational analysis on the variable complexity. We identified moments of insight as peaks in determinacy and surprise. Statistically significant changes in liking and interest demonstrated that: (i) insights increase liking, (ii) interest already increases 1500 ms before such moments of insight, supporting the idea that it is evoked by an expectation of understanding, and (iii) insights occur during increasing complexity. We propose a preliminary model of dynamics in liking and interest with regard to complexity and perceptual insight and discuss descriptions of participants' experiences of insight. Our results point to the importance of systematic analyses of dynamics in art perception and appreciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Muth
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany ; Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany
| | - Marius H Raab
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany ; Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany ; Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany
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Graf LKM, Landwehr JR. A dual-process perspective on fluency-based aesthetics: the pleasure-interest model of aesthetic liking. PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY REVIEW 2015; 19:395-410. [PMID: 25742990 DOI: 10.1177/1088868315574978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we develop an account of how aesthetic preferences can be formed as a result of two hierarchical, fluency-based processes. Our model suggests that processing performed immediately upon encountering an aesthetic object is stimulus driven, and aesthetic preferences that accrue from this processing reflect aesthetic evaluations of pleasure or displeasure. When sufficient processing motivation is provided by a perceiver's need for cognitive enrichment and/or the stimulus' processing affordance, elaborate perceiver-driven processing can emerge, which gives rise to fluency-based aesthetic evaluations of interest, boredom, or confusion. Because the positive outcomes in our model are pleasure and interest, we call it the Pleasure-Interest Model of Aesthetic Liking (PIA Model). Theoretically, this model integrates a dual-process perspective and ideas from lay epistemology into processing fluency theory, and it provides a parsimonious framework to embed and unite a wealth of aesthetic phenomena, including contradictory preference patterns for easy versus difficult-to-process aesthetic stimuli.
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Haertel M, Carbon CC. Is this a "Fettecke" or just a "greasy corner"? About the capability of laypersons to differentiate between art and non-art via object's originality. Iperception 2014; 5:602-10. [PMID: 25926968 PMCID: PMC4411983 DOI: 10.1068/i0664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2014] [Revised: 05/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Which components are needed to identify an object as an artwork, particularly if it is contemporary art? A variety of factors determining aesthetic judgements have been identified, among them stimulus-related properties such as symmetry, complexity and style, but also person-centred as well as context-dependent variables. We were particularly interested in finding out whether laypersons are at all able to distinguish between pieces of fine art endorsed by museums and works not displayed by galleries and museums. We were also interested in analysing the variables responsible for distinguishing between different levels of artistic quality. We ask untrained (Exp.1) as well as art-trained (Exp.2) people to rate a pool of images comprising contemporary art plus unaccredited objects with regard to preference, originality, ambiguity, understanding and artistic quality. Originality and ambiguity proved to be the best predictor for artistic quality. As the concept of originality is tightly linked with innovativeness, a property known to be appreciated only by further, and deep, elaboration (Carbon, 2011i-Perception, 2, 708–719), it makes sense that modern artworks might be cognitively qualified as being of high artistic quality but are meanwhile affectively devaluated or even rejected by typical laypersons—at least at first glance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Haertel
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany; e-mail:
| | - Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany; and Bamberg Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences (BaGrACS), Bamberg, Germany; e-mail:
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Carbon CC, Hesslinger VM. Stable Aesthetic Standards Delusion: Changing ‘Artistic Quality’ by Elaboration. Perception 2014; 43:1006-13. [PMID: 25420339 DOI: 10.1068/p7709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The present study challenges the notion that judgments of artistic quality are based on stable aesthetic standards. We propose that such standards are a delusion and that judgments of artistic quality are the combined result of exposure, elaboration, and discourse. We ran two experiments using elaboration tasks based on the repeated evaluation technique in which different versions of the Mona Lisa had to be elaborated deeply. During the initial task either the version known from the Louvre or an alternative version owned by the Prado was elaborated; during the second task both versions were elaborated in a comparative fashion. After both tasks multiple blends of the two versions had to be evaluated concerning several aesthetic key variables. Judgments of artistic quality of the blends were significantly different depending on the initially elaborated version of the Mona Lisa, indicating experience-based aesthetic processing, which contradicts the notion of stable aesthetic standards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, D-96047 Bamberg, Germany
- Graduate School of Affective and Cognitive Sciences, Bamberg, Germany
| | - Vera M Hesslinger
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, D-96047 Bamberg, Germany
- Abteilung Allgemeine Experimentelle Psychologie, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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Hekkert P, Thurgood C, Whitfield TA. The mere exposure effect for consumer products as a consequence of existing familiarity and controlled exposure. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2013; 144:411-7. [PMID: 24012724 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2013] [Revised: 06/13/2013] [Accepted: 07/21/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The finding that repeated exposure to a stimulus enhances attitudes directed towards it is a well-established phenomenon. Despite this, the effects of exposure to products are difficult to determine given that they could have previously been exposed to participants any number of times. Furthermore, factors other than simple repeated exposure can influence affective evaluations for stimuli that are meaningful. In our first study, we examined the influence of existing familiarity with common objects and showed that the attractiveness of shapes representing common objects increases with their rated commonness. In our second study, we eliminated the effects of prior exposure by creating fictitious yet plausible products; thus, exposure frequency was under complete experimental control. We also manipulated the attention to be drawn to the products' designs by placing them in contexts where their visual appearance was stressed to be important versus contexts in which it was indicated that little attention had been paid to their design. Following mere exposure, attractiveness ratings increased linearly with exposure frequency, with the slope of the function being steeper for stimuli presented in an inconspicuous context-indicating that individuals engage in more deliberate processing of the stimuli when attention is drawn to their visual appearance.
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Muth C, Carbon CC. The aesthetic aha: on the pleasure of having insights into Gestalt. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2013; 144:25-30. [PMID: 23743342 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2013.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2012] [Revised: 04/24/2013] [Accepted: 05/03/2013] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Are challenging stimuli appreciated due to perceptual insights during elaboration? Drawing on the literature regarding aesthetic appreciation, several approaches can be identified. For instance, fluency of processing as well as perceptual challenge are supposed to increase appreciation: One group (Reber, Schwarz, & Winkielman, 2004) claims that fluency of processing increases appreciation. Others link aesthetics to engagement: Creation and manipulation of sense itself should be rewarding (Ramachandran & Hirstein, 1999). We experimentally tested the influence of insights during elaboration on liking. Pairs of stimuli - hardly detectable two-tone images including a face (Mooney face) and meaningless stimuli matched for complexity - were presented repeatedly. Having an insight as well as the intensity of the insight predicted subsequent gains in liking. This paper qualifies the role of insight (-aha!) on aesthetic appreciation through the effects of elaboration and problem-solving on understanding the processing of modern art.
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Faerber SJ, Carbon CC. The power of liking: Highly sensitive aesthetic processing for guiding us through the world. Iperception 2012; 3:553-61. [PMID: 23145310 PMCID: PMC3485859 DOI: 10.1068/i0506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2012] [Revised: 08/17/2012] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Assessing liking is one of the most intriguing and influencing types of processing we experience day by day. We can decide almost instantaneously what we like and are highly consistent in our assessments, even across cultures. Still, the underlying mechanism is not well understood and often neglected by vision scientists. Several potential predictors for liking are discussed in the literature, among them very prominently typicality. Here, we analysed the impact of subtle changes of two perceptual dimensions (shape and colour saturation) of three-dimensional models of chairs on typicality and liking. To increase the validity of testing, we utilized a test-adaptation-retest design for extracting sensitivity data of both variables from a static (test only) as well as from a dynamic perspective (test-retest). We showed that typicality was only influenced by shape properties, whereas liking combined processing of shape plus saturation properties, indicating more complex and integrative processing. Processing the aesthetic value of objects, persons, or scenes is an essential and sophisticated mechanism, which seems to be highly sensitive to the slightest variations of perceptual input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stella J Faerber
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Markusplatz 3, D-96047 Bamberg, Germany; e-mail:
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Augustin MD, Wagemans J. Empirical aesthetics, the beautiful challenge: An introduction to the special issue on Art & Perception. Iperception 2012; 3:455-8. [PMID: 23145296 PMCID: PMC3485842 DOI: 10.1068/i0541aap] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The i-Perception special issue Art & Perception is based on the Art & Perception Conference 2010 in Brussels. Our vision with this conference was to bring together artists and vision scientists from different backgrounds to exchange views and state-of-the-art knowledge on art perception and aesthetics. The complexity of the experience of art and of aesthetic phenomena, in general, calls for specific research approaches, for which interdisciplinarity seems to be key. Following this logic, the special issue Art & Perception contains contributions by artists and vision scientists with different methodological approaches. The contributions span a wide range of topics, but are all centred around two questions: How can one understand art perception and aesthetics from a psychological point of view, and how is this reflected in art itself?
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dorothee Augustin
- University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Tiensestraat 102, box 3711, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; e-mail:
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Jakesch M, Carbon CC. The mere exposure effect in the domain of haptics. PLoS One 2012; 7:e31215. [PMID: 22347451 PMCID: PMC3275618 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Zajonc showed that the attitude towards stimuli that one had been previously exposed to is more positive than towards novel stimuli. This mere exposure effect (MEE) has been tested extensively using various visual stimuli. Research on the MEE is sparse, however, for other sensory modalities. Methodology/Principal Findings We used objects of two material categories (stone and wood) and two complexity levels (simple and complex) to test the influence of exposure frequency (F0 = novel stimuli, F2 = stimuli exposed twice, F10 = stimuli exposed ten times) under two sensory modalities (haptics only and haptics & vision). Effects of exposure frequency were found for high complex stimuli with significantly increasing liking from F0 to F2 and F10, but only for the stone category. Analysis of “Need for Touch” data showed the MEE in participants with high need for touch, which suggests different sensitivity or saturation levels of MEE. Conclusions/Significance This different sensitivity or saturation levels might also reflect the effects of expertise on the haptic evaluation of objects. It seems that haptic and cross-modal MEEs are influenced by factors similar to those in the visual domain indicating a common cognitive basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martina Jakesch
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg, Bamberg, Germany.
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Carbon CC, Ditye T. Face adaptation effects show strong and long-lasting transfer from lab to more ecological contexts. Front Psychol 2012; 3:3. [PMID: 22291676 PMCID: PMC3264890 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2011] [Accepted: 01/04/2012] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A review on recent experiments on figural face aftereffects reveals that adaptation effects in famous faces can last for hours up to days. Such adaptations seem to be highly reliable regarding test–retest designs as well as regarding the generalizability of adaptation across different adaptation routines and adaptations toward different kinds of facial properties. However, in the studies conducted so far, adaptation and the subsequent test phase were carried out in typical laboratory environments. Under these circumstances, it cannot be ruled out that the observed effects are, in fact, episodic learn–test compatibility effects. To test for ecological validity in adaptation effects we used an adaptation paradigm including environmental and social properties that differed between adaptation and test phase. With matched samples (n1 = n2 = 54) we found no main effects of experimental setting compatibility resulting from varying where the tests where conducted (environmental condition) nor any interaction with effects of stimulus compatibility resulting from varying stimulus similarity between adaptation and test phase using the same picture, different pictures of the same person, or different persons (transfer). This indicates that these adaptation effects are not artificial or merely lab-biased effects. Adaptation to face stimuli may document representational adaptations and tuning mechanisms that integrate new visual input in a very fast, reliable, and sustainable way.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-Christian Carbon
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, University of Bamberg Bamberg, Germany
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Marković S. Components of aesthetic experience: aesthetic fascination, aesthetic appraisal, and aesthetic emotion. Iperception 2012; 3:1-17. [PMID: 23145263 PMCID: PMC3485814 DOI: 10.1068/i0450aap] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2011] [Revised: 09/30/2011] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper aesthetic experience is defined as an experience qualitatively different from everyday experience and similar to other exceptional states of mind. Three crucial characteristics of aesthetic experience are discussed: fascination with an aesthetic object (high arousal and attention), appraisal of the symbolic reality of an object (high cognitive engagement), and a strong feeling of unity with the object of aesthetic fascination and aesthetic appraisal. In a proposed model, two parallel levels of aesthetic information processing are proposed. On the first level two sub-levels of narrative are processed, story (theme) and symbolism (deeper meanings). The second level includes two sub-levels, perceptual associations (implicit meanings of object's physical features) and detection of compositional regularities. Two sub-levels are defined as crucial for aesthetic experience, appraisal of symbolism and compositional regularities. These sub-levels require some specific cognitive and personality dispositions, such as expertise, creative thinking, and openness to experience. Finally, feedback of emotional processing is included in our model: appraisals of everyday emotions are specified as a matter of narrative content (eg, empathy with characters), whereas the aesthetic emotion is defined as an affective evaluation in the process of symbolism appraisal or the detection of compositional regularities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Slobodan Marković
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Department of Psychology, University of Belgrade, Serbia; e-mail:
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Blijlevens J, Gemser G, Mugge R. The importance of being 'well-placed': the influence of context on perceived typicality and esthetic appraisal of product appearance. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2012; 139:178-86. [PMID: 22136989 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2011.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2011] [Revised: 11/07/2011] [Accepted: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Earlier findings have suggested that esthetic appraisal of product appearances is influenced by perceived typicality. However, prior empirical research on typicality and esthetic appraisal of product appearances has not explicitly taken context effects into account. In this paper, we investigate how a specific context influences perceived typicality and thus the esthetic appraisal of product appearances by manipulating the degree of typicality of a product's appearance and its context. The findings of two studies demonstrate that the perceived typicality of a product appearance and consequently its esthetic appraisal vary depending on the typicality of the context in which the product is presented. Specifically, contrast effects occur for product appearances that are perceived as typical. Typical product appearances are perceived as more typical and are more esthetically appealing when presented in an atypical context compared to when presented in a typical context. No differences in perceived typicality and esthetic appraisal were found for product appearances that are perceived as atypical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke Blijlevens
- Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Department of Industrial Design, The Netherlands.
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Augustin MD, Wagemans J, Carbon CC. All is beautiful? Generality vs. specificity of word usage in visual aesthetics. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2012; 139:187-201. [PMID: 22123506 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2011.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2011] [Revised: 09/28/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 10/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A central problem in the literature on psychological aesthetics is a lack of precision in terminology regarding the description and measurement of aesthetic impressions. The current research project approached the problem of terminology empirically, by studying people's word usage to describe aesthetic impressions. For eight different object classes that are relevant in visual aesthetics, including visual art, landscapes, faces and different design classes, we examined which words people use to describe their aesthetic impressions, and which general conceptual dimensions might underlie similarities and differences between the classes. The results show an interplay between generality and specificity in aesthetic word usage. In line with results by Jacobsen, Buchta, Kohler, and Schroger (2004)beautiful and ugly seem to be the words with most general relevance, but in addition each object class has its own distinct pattern of relevant terms. Multidimensional scaling and correspondence analysis suggest that the most extreme positions in aesthetic word usage for the classes studied are taken by landscapes and geometric shapes and patterns. This research aims to develop a language of aesthetics for the visual modality. Such a common vocabulary should facilitate the development of cross-disciplinary models of aesthetics and create a basis for the construction of standardised aesthetic measures.
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Carbon CC. Cognitive mechanisms for explaining dynamics of aesthetic appreciation. Iperception 2011; 2:708-19. [PMID: 23145254 PMCID: PMC3485809 DOI: 10.1068/i0463aap] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2011] [Revised: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
For many domains aesthetic appreciation has proven to be highly reliable. Evaluations of facial attractiveness, for instance, show high internal consistencies and impressively high inter-rater reliabilities, even across cultures. This indicates general mechanisms underlying such evaluations. It is, however, also obvious that our taste for specific objects is not always stable-in some realms such stability is hardly conceivable at all since aesthetic domains such as fashion, design, or art are inherently very dynamic. Gaining insights into the cognitive mechanisms that trigger and enable corresponding changes of aesthetic appreciation is of particular interest for psychologists as this will probably reveal essential mechanisms of aesthetic evaluations per se. The present paper develops a two-step model, dynamically adapting itself, which accounts for typical dynamics of aesthetic appreciation found in different research areas such as art history, philosophy, and psychology. The first step assumes singular creative sources creating and establishing innovative material towards which, in a second step, people adapt by integrating it into their visual habits. This inherently leads to dynamic changes of the beholders- aesthetic appreciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claus-Christian Carbon
- University of Bamberg, Department of General Psychology and Methodology, Markusplatz 3, D-96047 Bamberg, Germany;
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Extending the Implicit Association Test (IAT): assessing consumer attitudes based on multi-dimensional implicit associations. PLoS One 2011; 6:e15849. [PMID: 21246037 PMCID: PMC3016338 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2010] [Accepted: 11/27/2010] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The authors present a procedural extension of the popular Implicit Association Test (IAT; [1]) that allows for indirect measurement of attitudes on multiple dimensions (e.g., safe–unsafe; young–old; innovative–conventional, etc.) rather than on a single evaluative dimension only (e.g., good–bad). Methodology/Principal Findings In two within-subjects studies, attitudes toward three automobile brands were measured on six attribute dimensions. Emphasis was placed on evaluating the methodological appropriateness of the new procedure, providing strong evidence for its reliability, validity, and sensitivity. Conclusions/Significance This new procedure yields detailed information on the multifaceted nature of brand associations that can add up to a more abstract overall attitude. Just as the IAT, its multi-dimensional extension/application (dubbed md-IAT) is suited for reliably measuring attitudes consumers may not be consciously aware of, able to express, or willing to share with the researcher [2], [3].
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Gerger G, Leder H, Faerber SJ, Carbon CC. When the Others Matter. SWISS JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1024/1421-0185/a000041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although innovativeness is an important variable in product design, we know little about its appreciation. We studied how appreciation of innovativeness and its dynamics depends on the heterogeneity of the context in which it appears. We employed a test-retest design in which appreciation of car interior designs was tested before and after repeated evaluations. We tested heterogeneous stimulus sets (highly and lowly innovative designs together; Experiment 1) and homogeneous stimulus sets (highly or lowly innovative designs; Experiment 2). The known effect ( Carbon, Hutzler, & Minge, 2006 ; Carbon & Leder, 2005 ) of a selective increase in attractiveness ratings for highly innovative stimuli after repeated evaluations was only obtained for heterogeneous sets. In homogeneous sets, both highly and lowly innovative interiors were rated similarly and showed similar dynamics. Experiment 3 was a shorter version of Experiment 1, which ruled out differences in experimental design (more ratings and longer duration in Experiment 1) as the cause of the differences. High innovativeness was found to show a specific increase in attractiveness ratings only when innovativeness was made apparent by presenting stimuli in heterogeneous sets. Thus, awareness of variation in innovativeness as a relevant stimulus dimension is a key feature regarding its effect on appreciation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gernot Gerger
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Helmut Leder
- Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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