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Higuera-Trujillo JL, Llinares C, Macagno E. The Cognitive-Emotional Design and Study of Architectural Space: A Scoping Review of Neuroarchitecture and Its Precursor Approaches. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:2193. [PMID: 33801037 PMCID: PMC8004070 DOI: 10.3390/s21062193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Humans respond cognitively and emotionally to the built environment. The modern possibility of recording the neural activity of subjects during exposure to environmental situations, using neuroscientific techniques and virtual reality, provides a promising framework for future design and studies of the built environment. The discipline derived is termed "neuroarchitecture". Given neuroarchitecture's transdisciplinary nature, it progresses needs to be reviewed in a contextualised way, together with its precursor approaches. The present article presents a scoping review, which maps out the broad areas on which the new discipline is based. The limitations, controversies, benefits, impact on the professional sectors involved, and potential of neuroarchitecture and its precursors' approaches are critically addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Luis Higuera-Trujillo
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering (i3B), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain;
- Escuela de Arquitectura, Arte y Diseño (EAAD), Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey 72453, Mexico
| | - Carmen Llinares
- Institute for Research and Innovation in Bioengineering (i3B), Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain;
| | - Eduardo Macagno
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA;
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2
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Francis JM, Thompson-Witrick KA, Perry EB. Palatability of Horse Treats: Comparing the Preferences of Horses and Humans. J Equine Vet Sci 2020; 99:103357. [PMID: 33781427 DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2020] [Revised: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite its importance to product development, few data compare preferences for horses with human consumers. The objectives of this research were to compare treat preferences of horses against horse owners. Product A was a disk-shaped cinnamon-flavored flax-based treat, and product B was a textured apple-flavored oat-based treat. Horses were presented with two treat products in a paired preference test which comprised separate olfaction and consumption periods. Consumers evaluated the treats separately for purchase intent as well as hedonic testing of sensory attributes. No difference was observed for first product sniffed, consumed, or finished during the horse preference test. However, moderate positive correlations were observed between first product sniffed and consumed (P = .01, ф = 0.40) as well as first product consumed and finished (P < .01, ф = 0.48). Horse owners rated product A lower in appearance, texture, size, and purchase intent (P < .01) than product B. These results indicate that consumer testing for animal food should be considered during product development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesse M Francis
- Department of Animal Science, Food & Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
| | | | - Erin B Perry
- Department of Animal Science, Food & Nutrition, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL
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3
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Makin ADJ, Poliakoff E, Rampone G, Bertamini M. Spontaneous Ocular Scanning of Visual Symmetry Is Similar During Classification and Evaluation Tasks. Iperception 2020; 11:2041669520946356. [PMID: 33110485 PMCID: PMC7557695 DOI: 10.1177/2041669520946356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual symmetry perception and symmetry preference have been studied extensively. However, less is known about how people spontaneously scan symmetrical stimuli with their eyes. We thus examined spontaneous saccadic eye movements when participants (N = 20) observed patterns with horizontal or vertical mirror reflection. We found that participants tend to make saccades along the axis of reflection and that this oculomotor behaviour was similar during objective classification and subjective evaluation tasks. The axis-scanning behaviour generates a dynamic sequence of novel symmetrical images from a single static stimulus. This could aid symmetry perception and evaluation by enhancing the neural response to symmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis D J Makin
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Ellen Poliakoff
- Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biological, Medical and Human Sciences, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, The University of Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Giulia Rampone
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Bertamini
- Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Liverpool, United Kingdom
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4
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Oren S, Sela T, Levy DJ, Schonberg T. Item Features Interact With Item Category in Their Influence on Preferences. Front Psychol 2020; 11:988. [PMID: 32793016 PMCID: PMC7391002 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Low-level visual features are known to play a role in value-based decision-making. However, most previous studies focused on the role of only a single low-level feature or only for one type of item. These studies also used only one method of measurement and provided a theory accounting for those specific findings. We aimed to utilize a different more robust approach. We tested the contribution of low-level visual features to value-based decision-making of three item types: fractal-art images, faces, and snack food items. We used two techniques to estimate values: subjective ratings and actual choices. We found that low-level visual features contribute to value-based decision-making even after controlling for higher level features relevant for each item category (for faces, features like eye distance and for food snacks, features like price and calories). Importantly, we show that, overall, while low-level visual features consistently contribute to value-based decision-making as was previously shown, different features distinctively contribute to preferences of specific item types, as was evident when we estimated values using both techniques. We claim that theories relying on the role of single features for individual item types do not capture the complexity of the contribution of low-level visual features to value-based decision-making. Our conclusions call for future studies using multiple item types and various measurement methods for estimating value in order to modify current theories and construct a unifying framework regarding the relationship between low-level visual features and choice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiran Oren
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tal Sela
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Kinneret Academic College on the Sea of Galilee, Zemach, Israel
| | - Dino J. Levy
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Tom Schonberg
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Department of Neurobiology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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5
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Bertamini M, Rampone G, Makin ADJ, Jessop A. Symmetry preference in shapes, faces, flowers and landscapes. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7078. [PMID: 31245176 PMCID: PMC6585942 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most people like symmetry, and symmetry has been extensively used in visual art and architecture. In this study, we compared preference for images of abstract and familiar objects in the original format or when containing perfect bilateral symmetry. We created pairs of images for different categories: male faces, female faces, polygons, smoothed version of the polygons, flowers, and landscapes. This design allows us to compare symmetry preference in different domains. Each observer saw all categories randomly interleaved but saw only one of the two images in a pair. After recording preference, we recorded a rating of how salient the symmetry was for each image, and measured how quickly observers could decide which of the two images in a pair was symmetrical. Results reveal a general preference for symmetry in the case of shapes and faces. For landscapes, natural (no perfect symmetry) images were preferred. Correlations with judgments of saliency were present but generally low, and for landscapes the salience of symmetry was negatively related to preference. However, even within the category where symmetry was not liked (landscapes), the separate analysis of original and modified stimuli showed an interesting pattern: Salience of symmetry was correlated positively (artificial) or negatively (original) with preference, suggesting different effects of symmetry within the same class of stimuli based on context and categorization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Bertamini
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Giulia Rampone
- School of Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Alexis D J Makin
- Department of Psychological Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Andrew Jessop
- Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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6
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Huang Y, Xue X, Spelke E, Huang L, Zheng W, Peng K. The aesthetic preference for symmetry dissociates from early-emerging attention to symmetry. Sci Rep 2018; 8:6263. [PMID: 29674652 PMCID: PMC5908848 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-24558-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 04/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Symmetry is a basic geometry property that affects people's aesthetic experience in common ways across cultures and historical periods, but the origins of the universal preference for symmetrical patterns is not clear. We assessed four-year-old children's and adults' reported aesthetic preferences between symmetrical and asymmetrical visual patterns, as well as their spontaneous attentional preferences between the patterns. We found a striking dissociation between these two measures in the children: Children looked longer at the symmetrical patterns, relative to otherwise similar but asymmetrical patterns, but they showed no explicit preference for those patterns. These findings suggest that the human's aesthetic preferences have high postnatal plasticity, calling into question theories that symmetry is a "core feature" mediating people's aesthetic experience throughout life. The findings also call into question the assumption, common to many studies of human infants, that attentional choices reflect subjective preferences or values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Huang
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P.R. China.
| | - Xiaodi Xue
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P.R. China
| | - Elizabeth Spelke
- Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138, USA
| | - Lijie Huang
- Research Center for Brain-inspired Intelligence, Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, P.R. China
| | - Wenwen Zheng
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P.R. China
| | - Kaiping Peng
- Department of Psychology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P.R. China.
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7
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Bies AJ, Blanc-Goldhammer DR, Boydston CR, Taylor RP, Sereno ME. Aesthetic Responses to Exact Fractals Driven by Physical Complexity. Front Hum Neurosci 2016; 10:210. [PMID: 27242475 PMCID: PMC4873502 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2016.00210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Fractals are physically complex due to their repetition of patterns at multiple size scales. Whereas the statistical characteristics of the patterns repeat for fractals found in natural objects, computers can generate patterns that repeat exactly. Are these exact fractals processed differently, visually and aesthetically, than their statistical counterparts? We investigated the human aesthetic response to the complexity of exact fractals by manipulating fractal dimensionality, symmetry, recursion, and the number of segments in the generator. Across two studies, a variety of fractal patterns were visually presented to human participants to determine the typical response to exact fractals. In the first study, we found that preference ratings for exact midpoint displacement fractals can be described by a linear trend with preference increasing as fractal dimension increases. For the majority of individuals, preference increased with dimension. We replicated these results for other exact fractal patterns in a second study. In the second study, we also tested the effects of symmetry and recursion by presenting asymmetric dragon fractals, symmetric dragon fractals, and Sierpinski carpets and Koch snowflakes, which have radial and mirror symmetry. We found a strong interaction among recursion, symmetry and fractal dimension. Specifically, at low levels of recursion, the presence of symmetry was enough to drive high preference ratings for patterns with moderate to high levels of fractal dimension. Most individuals required a much higher level of recursion to recover this level of preference in a pattern that lacked mirror or radial symmetry, while others were less discriminating. This suggests that exact fractals are processed differently than their statistical counterparts. We propose a set of four factors that influence complexity and preference judgments in fractals that may extend to other patterns: fractal dimension, recursion, symmetry and the number of segments in a pattern. Conceptualizations such as Berlyne's and Redies' theories of aesthetics also provide a suitable framework for interpretation of our data with respect to the individual differences that we detect. Future studies that incorporate physiological methods to measure the human aesthetic response to exact fractal patterns would further elucidate our responses to such timeless patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Bies
- Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon Eugene, OR, USA
| | | | - Cooper R Boydston
- Fractals Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oregon Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Richard P Taylor
- Fractals Research Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Oregon Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Margaret E Sereno
- Visual Neuroscience Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon Eugene, OR, USA
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8
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Rampone G, O’ Sullivan N, Bertamini M. The Role of Visual Eccentricity on Preference for Abstract Symmetry. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0154428. [PMID: 27124081 PMCID: PMC4849760 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
This study tested preference for abstract patterns, comparing random patterns to a two-fold bilateral symmetry. Stimuli were presented at random locations in the periphery. Preference for bilateral symmetry has been extensively studied in central vision, but evaluation at different locations had not been systematically investigated. Patterns were presented for 200 ms within a large circular region. On each trial participant changed fixation and were instructed to select any location. Eccentricity values were calculated a posteriori as the distance between ocular coordinates at pattern onset and coordinates for the centre of the pattern. Experiment 1 consisted of two Tasks. In Task 1, participants detected pattern regularity as fast as possible. In Task 2 they evaluated their liking for the pattern on a Likert-scale. Results from Task 1 revealed that with our parameters eccentricity did not affect symmetry detection. However, in Task 2, eccentricity predicted more negative evaluation of symmetry, but not random patterns. In Experiment 2 participants were either presented with symmetry or random patterns. Regularity was task-irrelevant in this task. Participants discriminated the proportion of black/white dots within the pattern and then evaluated their liking for the pattern. Even when only one type of regularity was presented and regularity was task-irrelevant, preference evaluation for symmetry decreased with increasing eccentricity, whereas eccentricity did not affect the evaluation of random patterns. We conclude that symmetry appreciation is higher for foveal presentation in a way not fully accounted for by sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Rampone
- University of Liverpool, Department of Psychological Sciences, Eleanor Rathbone Building, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZA, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Noreen O’ Sullivan
- Liverpool John Moores University, Institute of Natural Sciences & Psychology, School of Natural Sciences & Psychology, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, United Kingdom
| | - Marco Bertamini
- University of Liverpool, Department of Psychological Sciences, Eleanor Rathbone Building, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 7ZA, United Kingdom
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9
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Ptáčková J, Landová E, Lišková S, Kuběna A, Frynta D. Are the aesthetic preferences towards snake species already formed in pre-school aged children? EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2016.1144507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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10
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Seeing two faces together: preference formation in humans and rhesus macaques. Anim Cogn 2014; 17:1107-19. [PMID: 24638876 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-014-0742-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Revised: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Humans, great apes and old world monkeys show selective attention to faces depending on conspecificity, familiarity, and social status supporting the view that primates share similar face processing mechanisms. Although many studies have been done on face scanning strategy in monkeys and humans, the mechanisms influencing viewing preference have received little attention. To determine how face categories influence viewing preference in humans and rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), we performed two eye-tracking experiments using a visual preference task whereby pairs of faces from different species were presented simultaneously. The results indicated that viewing time was significantly influenced by the pairing of the face categories. Humans showed a strong bias towards an own-race face in an Asian-Caucasian condition. Rhesus macaques directed more attention towards non-human primate faces when they were paired with human faces, regardless of the species. When rhesus faces were paired with faces from Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) or chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), the novel species' faces attracted more attention. These results indicate that monkeys' viewing preferences, as assessed by a visual preference task, are modulated by several factors, species and dominance being the most influential.
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11
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Lebrecht S, Bar M, Barrett LF, Tarr MJ. Micro-valences: perceiving affective valence in everyday objects. Front Psychol 2012; 3:107. [PMID: 22529828 PMCID: PMC3328080 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2011] [Accepted: 03/24/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Perceiving the affective valence of objects influences how we think about and react to the world around us. Conversely, the speed and quality with which we visually recognize objects in a visual scene can vary dramatically depending on that scene’s affective content. Although typical visual scenes contain mostly “everyday” objects, the affect perception in visual objects has been studied using somewhat atypical stimuli with strong affective valences (e.g., guns or roses). Here we explore whether affective valence must be strong or overt to exert an effect on our visual perception. We conclude that everyday objects carry subtle affective valences – “micro-valences” – which are intrinsic to their perceptual representation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Lebrecht
- Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences, Brown University Providence, RI, USA
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12
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Lindell AK, Mueller J. Can science account for taste? Psychological insights into art appreciation. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2011.539556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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13
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The First Appearance of Symmetry in the Human Lineage: Where Perception Meets Art. Symmetry (Basel) 2011. [DOI: 10.3390/sym3010037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Abstract
Neuroaesthetics is gaining momentum. At this early juncture, it is worth taking stock of where the field is and what lies ahead. Here, I review writings that fall under the rubric of neuroaesthetics. These writings include discussions of the parallel organizational principles of the brain and the intent and practices of artists, the description of informative anecdotes, and the emergence of experimental neuroaesthetics. I then suggest a few areas within neuroaesthetics that might be pursued profitably. Finally, I raise some challenges for the field. These challenges are not unique to neuroaesthetics. As neuroaesthetics comes of age, it might take advantage of the lessons learned from more mature domains of inquiry within cognitive neuroscience.
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Vessel EA, Rubin N. Beauty and the beholder: highly individual taste for abstract, but not real-world images. J Vis 2010; 10:18.1-14. [PMID: 20462319 DOI: 10.1167/10.2.18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2009] [Accepted: 01/07/2010] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
How individual are visual preferences? For real-world scenes, there is high agreement in observer's preference ratings. This could be driven by visual attributes of the images but also by non-visual associations, since those are common to most individuals. To investigate this, we developed a set of novel abstract, visually diverse images. At the individual observer level both abstract and real-world images yielded robust and consistent visual preferences, and yet abstract images yielded much lower across observer agreement in preferences than did real-world images. This suggests that visual preferences are typically driven by the semantic content of stimuli, and that shared semantic interpretations then lead to shared preferences. Further experiments showed that highly individual preferences can nevertheless emerge also for real-world scenes, in contexts which de-emphasize their semantic associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward A Vessel
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
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16
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Spang K, Grimsen C, Herzog M, Fahle M. Orientation specificity of learning vernier discriminations. Vision Res 2010; 50:479-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2009.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2009] [Revised: 12/15/2009] [Accepted: 12/17/2009] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Evidence of the development of ‘domain‐restricted’ expertise in the recognition of asymmetric motion characteristics of hindlimb lameness in the horse. Equine Vet J 2010; 41:112-7. [DOI: 10.2746/042516408x343000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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18
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What makes some species of milk snakes more attractive to humans than others? Theory Biosci 2009; 128:227-35. [PMID: 19890672 DOI: 10.1007/s12064-009-0075-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2009] [Accepted: 09/25/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Animals are ancestrally important stimuli for humans who pay disproportional attention to animal objects and exhibit an outstanding ability to categorize animal species, especially those most relevant to them. Humans as well as other primates perceive snakes as ambivalent stimuli that elicit unspecific arousal and attention. We assessed human aesthetic preferences toward milk snakes, the traditional model for studies of Batesian mimicry. The genus is fairly uniform in size and shape, but includes a great variety of color forms; some possessing aposematic patterns while others being rather cryptic. This provides an opportunity to test which features are responsible for positive aesthetic evaluation of the species. We asked the respondents to rank 34 pictures of milk snakes according to perceived beauty. The sets (whole bodies, heads, and skin fragments) covered most of naturally occurring variation in milk snake appearance. While ranking the beauty, the respondents spontaneously classified the species according to two dimensions. In each set, one of the dimensions corresponds to perceived beauty. The respondents' ranking revealed several distinct clusters of species instead of a continuous gradient. The species clustered in a similar way irrespective of evaluated set. One dimension of the ranking associated with the relative representation of red color and the number of transversal stripes, the other corresponded to a low proportion of red and a high proportion of black color. When the whole body of the snake is evaluated, aposematic coloration contributes to its perceived beauty. In conclusion, humans showed a surprising ability to classify milk snake patterns; they repeatedly formed the same distinct groups of species, thus completing a process that resembles unsupervised categorization.
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Aesthetic value of paintings affects pain thresholds. Conscious Cogn 2008; 17:1152-62. [PMID: 18762434 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2008.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2007] [Revised: 06/30/2008] [Accepted: 07/09/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Pain is modulated by cognitive factors, including attention and emotions. In this study we evaluated the distractive effect of aesthetic appreciation on subjectively rated pain (visual analogue scale;VAS) and multi-channel evoked potentials induced by CO(2) laser stimulation of the left hand in twelve healthy volunteers. Subjects were stimulated by laser in the absence of other external stimulation (baseline condition) and while looking at different paintings they had previously rated as beautiful, neutral or ugly. The view of paintings previously appreciated as beautiful produced lower pain scores and a clear inhibition of the P2 wave amplitude, localized in the anterior cingulate cortex; the inhibition of P2 wave amplitude was lesser or not significant during the presentation of the ugly or neutral paintings, respectively. Dipole source localization analysis of the LEP peaks showed significant changes during different conditions, with a shift from the posterior to the anterior right cingulated cortex while looking at paintings previously rated as beautiful. Our results provide evidence that pain may be modulated at cortical level by the aesthetic content of the distracting stimuli.
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de Tommaso M, Pecoraro C, Sardaro M, Serpino C, Lancioni G, Livrea P. Influence of aesthetic perception on visual event-related potentials. Conscious Cogn 2007; 17:933-45. [PMID: 17977747 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2007.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2007] [Revised: 09/03/2007] [Accepted: 09/05/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the effects of visual aesthetic perception on event-related potentials (ERPs). Eight subjects assigned an aesthetic judgment (beautiful, neutral, or ugly) and a 10-step beauty estimation to the target stimuli, consisting of famous artistic pictures and geometric shapes. In a further task, the subjects performed a motor response to the previously judged pictures and geometric shapes. ERPs were recorded through 54 scalp electrodes during both tasks. The P3b amplitude was increased during the categorization of the geometric shapes compared to the artistic figures and during the vision of the beautiful targets preceding the motor response. The categorization of the aesthetic qualities of geometrical shapes seems to induce a higher level of attention, while a higher arousal variation was elicited by the recognition of beauty, in any form that was presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina de Tommaso
- Department of Neurological and Psychiatric Sciences, University of Bari, Neurophysiopatology of Chronic Pain Unit, Neurological Clinic Policlinico General Hospital, Piazza G. Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy.
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21
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Santosa CM, Strong CM, Nowakowska C, Wang PW, Rennicke CM, Ketter TA. Enhanced creativity in bipolar disorder patients: a controlled study. J Affect Disord 2007; 100:31-9. [PMID: 17126406 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2006.10.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2006] [Revised: 10/02/2006] [Accepted: 10/13/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Associations between eminent creativity and bipolar disorders have been reported, but there are few data relating non-eminent creativity to bipolar disorders in clinical samples. We assessed non-eminent creativity in euthymic bipolar (BP) and unipolar major depressive disorder (MDD) patients, creative discipline controls (CC), and healthy controls (HC). METHODS 49 BP, 25 MDD, 32 CC, and 47 HC (all euthymic) completed four creativity measures yielding six parameters: the Barron-Welsh Art Scale (BWAS-Total, and two subscales, BWAS-Dislike and BWAS-Like), the Adjective Check List Creative Personality Scale (ACL-CPS), and the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking--Figural (TTCT-F) and Verbal (TTCT-V) versions. Mean scores on these instruments were compared across groups. RESULTS BP and CC (but not MDD) compared to HC scored significantly higher on BWAS-Total (45% and 48% higher, respectively) and BWAS-Dislike (90% and 88% higher, respectively), but not on BWAS-Like. CC compared to MDD scored significantly higher (12% higher) on TTCT-F. For all other comparisons, creativity scores did not differ significantly between groups. CONCLUSIONS We found BP and CC (but not MDD) had similarly enhanced creativity on the BWAS-Total (driven by an increase on the BWAS-Dislike) compared to HC. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of enhanced creativity and how it relates to clinical (e.g. temperament, mood, and medication status) and preclinical (e.g. visual and affective processing substrates) parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia M Santosa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, CA 94305-5723, USA
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Cárdenas RA, Harris LJ. Symmetrical decorations enhance the attractiveness of faces and abstract designs. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2005.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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23
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Fahle M. Learning to tell apples from oranges. Trends Cogn Sci 2005; 9:455-7. [PMID: 16054420 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2005.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2005] [Revised: 06/17/2005] [Accepted: 07/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Recognizing images requires sorting them into the correct perceptual categories. Without categories, apples could not be discriminated from oranges. A fundamental question is whether categories are innate or learned, and if learned, how well such discriminations generalize. A recent finding by Notman et al. demonstrates that certain categorical discriminations are learned fast but vanish for slightly rotated stimuli. Rather than higher "cognitive" learning, this indicates involvement of "early" mechanisms, which cannot generalize across different stimulus orientations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manfred Fahle
- Bremen University, Human Neurobiology, Argonnenstrasse 3, D-28211 Bremen, Germany.
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Notman LA, Sowden PT, Ozgen E. The nature of learned categorical perception effects: a psychophysical approach. Cognition 2005; 95:B1-14. [PMID: 15694641 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2004.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2003] [Revised: 06/07/2004] [Accepted: 07/22/2004] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Categorical perception is often cited as a striking example of cognitive influences on perception. However, some evidence suggests the term is a misnomer, with effects based on cognitive not perceptual processing. Here, using a psychophysical approach, we provide evidence consistent with a learned categorical perception effect that is dependent on analysis within the visual processing stream. An improvement in participants' discrimination between grating patterns that they had learned to place in different categories was 'tuned' around the orientation of the patterns experienced during category learning. Thus, here, categorical perception may result from attentionally modulated perceptual learning about diagnostic category features, based upon orientation-selective stages of analysis. This argues strongly that category learning can alter our perception of the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leslie A Notman
- Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey. GU2 7XH, Great Britain, UK.
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