A large number of studies support the notion that synthetic images within a certain intermediate fractal-scaling range possess an intrinsic esthetic value. Interestingly, the fractal-scaling ...properties that define this intermediate range have also been found to characterize a vast collection of representational, abstract, and graphic art. While some have argued that these statistic properties only serve to maximize the visibility of the artworks' spatial structure, others argue that they are intrinsically tied to the artworks' esthetic appeal. In this study, we bring together these two threads of research and make a direct comparison between visual preference for varying fractal-scaling characteristics in both synthetic images and artworks. Across two studies, viewers ranked and rated sets of synthetic noise images and artworks that systematically varied in fractal dimension for liking, pleasantness, complexity, and interestingness. We analyzed both average and individual patterns of preference between the two image classes. Average preference peaked for intermediate fractal dimension values for both categories, but individual patterns of preferences for both high and low values also emerged. Correlational analyses indicated that individual preferences between the two image classes remained moderately consistent and were improved when the fractal dimensions between synthetic images and artworks were more closely matched. Overall, these findings further support the role of fractal-scaling statistics both as a key determinant of an object's esthetic value and as a valuable predictor of individual differences in esthetic preference.
•A perceptual object captures attention automatically.•It is accompanied by deployment of attention to the object location.•Collinearity or closure, but not symmetry, suffices for attentional capture ...by an object.•The strength of perceptual organization influences this attentional capture.
We have previously demonstrated that the mere organization of some elements in the visual field into an object attracts attention automatically. Here, we explored three different aspects of this automatic attentional capture: (a) Does the attentional capture by an object involve a spatial component? (b) Which Gestalt organization factors suffice for an object to capture attention? (c) Does the strength of organization affect the object’s ability to capture attention? Participants viewed multi-elements displays and either identified the color of one element or responded to a Vernier target. On some trials, a subset of the elements grouped by Gestalt factors into an object that was irrelevant to the task and not predictive of the target. An object effect – faster performance for targets within the object than for targets outside the object – was found even when the target appeared after the object offset, and was sensitive to target–object distance, suggesting that the capture of attention by an object is accompanied by a deployment of attention to the object location. Object effects of similar magnitude were found for objects grouped by a combination of factors (collinearity, closure, and symmetry, or closure and symmetry) or by a single factor when it was collinearity, but not symmetry, suggesting that collinearity, or closure combined with symmetry, suffices for automatic capture of attention by an object, but symmetry does not. Finally, the strength of grouping in modal completion, manipulated by varying contrast polarity between and within elements, affected the effectiveness of the attentional capture by the induced object.
Partial least squares regression (
PLS
) calibration models based on Fourier transform infrared (
FTIR-ATR
) and Raman spectra (
FT-Raman
) were applied to the rapid and accurate simultaneous ...determination of the main properties of diesel fuels. Training sets were composed of over ninety commercial diesel fuel samples. The methods use baseline-uncorrected, raw FTIR-ATR and FT-Raman spectra. Two spectral regions were studied: full spectral region and “fingerprint” region. The models were validated using the cross-validation process. Based on the correlation coefficient and root mean square error of cross validation (
RMSECV
) values the both developed calibration models, PLS/FTIR-ATR and PLS/FT-Raman, were very accurate and comparable with standard testing methods. The following diesel fuel properties may be confidently estimated: cetane number, cetane index, density, viscosity, distillation temperatures at 10% (T10), 50% (T50) and 90% (T90) recovery, as well as the contents of total aromatics and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. As compared to the “fingerprint” spectral region, the PLS/FTIR-ATR model using full spectral region displayed slightly better performances with the most of the correlation coefficient values above 0.98.
Viewing Art in Different Contexts Estrada-Gonzalez, Vicente; East, Scott; Garbutt, Michael ...
Frontiers in psychology,
04/2020, Letnik:
11
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
While aesthetic experiences are not limited to any particular context, their sensorial, cognitive and behavioral properties can be profoundly affected by the circumstances in which they occur. Given ...the ubiquitous nature of contextual effects in nearly all aspects of behavior, investigations aimed at delineating the context-dependent and context-independent aspects of aesthetic experience and engagement with aesthetic objects in a diverse range of settings are important in empirical aesthetics. Here, we analyze the viewing behavior of visitors (
= 19) freely viewing 15 paintings in the 20th-century Australian collection room at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. In particular, we focus on how aspects of viewing behavior including viewing distance in the gallery condition and eye gaze measures such as fixation count, total fixation duration and average fixation duration are affected by the artworks' physical characteristics including size and image statistics properties such as Fourier amplitude spectrum, fractal dimension and entropy. In addition, the same artworks were viewed in the laboratory, either scaled to fit most of the screen (
= 22) or to preserve their relative size as in the museum condition (
= 17) to assess the robustness of these relationships across different presentation contexts. We find that the effects of presentation context are modulated by the artworks' physical characteristics.
Using the theory of affordance from perceptual psychology and through discussion of literature within visual data mining and immersive analytics, a position for the multi-sensory representation of ...big data using virtual reality (VR) is developed. While it would seem counter intuitive, information-dense virtual environments are theoretically easier to process than simplified graphic encoding—if there is alignment with human ecological perception of natural environments. Potentially, VR affords insight into patterns and anomalies through dynamic experience of data representations within interactive, kinaesthetic audio-visual virtual environments. To this end we articulate principles that can inform the development of VR applications for immersive analytics: a mimetic approach to data mapping that aligns spatial, aural and kinaesthetic attributes with abstractions of natural environments; layered with constructed features that complement natural structures; the use of cross-modal sensory mapping; a focus on intermediate levels of contrast; and the adaptation of naturally occurring distribution patterns for the granularity and distribution of data. While it appears problematic to directly translate visual data mining techniques to VR, the ecological approach to human perception discussed in this article provides a new framework for big data visualization researchers to consider.
Recent advances in Mobile Eye Tracking (MET) technology facilitate the investigation of visitors' embodied visual behaviors as they move through exhibition spaces. Our MET-based pilot study of ...visitor behaviors in an art museum demonstrates the value of MET for identifying 'hotspots' of attention. The study also confirms the occurrence of the movement patterns identified by Eghbal-Azar in non-art museums and demonstrates how two patterns-'the Long Gaze' and 'Reading'-can be usefully described in more detail. To illustrate this, we report on one visitor's experience with a single painting, noting the complex embodied visual behaviors associated with gazing and reading. Our findings allow us to reflect on the potential benefits of eye tracking not only for mapping visitor engagement but also for promoting it. In contrast to art museum installations that use static eye tracking as a form of visitor engagement, we argue that MET applications enable visitors to observe, reflect on, and potentially modify, personal viewing practices.
For centuries, the essence of aesthetic experience has remained one of the most intriguing mysteries for philosophers, artists, art historians and scientists alike. Recently, views emphasizing the ...link between aesthetics, perception and brain function have become increasingly prevalent (Ramachandran and Hirstein, 1999; Zeki, 1999; Livingstone, 2002; Ishizu and Zeki, 2013). The link between art and the fractal-like structure of natural images has also been highlighted (Spehar et al., 2003; Graham and Field, 2007; Graham and Redies, 2010). Motivated by these claims and our previous findings that humans display a consistent preference across various images with fractal-like statistics, here we explore the possibility that observers' preference for visual patterns might be related to their sensitivity for such patterns. We measure sensitivity to simple visual patterns (sine-wave gratings varying in spatial frequency and random textures with varying scaling exponent) and find that they are highly correlated with visual preferences exhibited by the same observers. Although we do not attempt to offer a comprehensive neural model of aesthetic experience, we demonstrate a strong relationship between visual sensitivity and preference for simple visual patterns. Broadly speaking, our results support assertions that there is a close relationship between aesthetic experience and the sensory coding of natural stimuli.
This study evaluated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in a sample of Honours students (
n
= 21) and Honours supervisors (
n
= 41) at a major Australian university. Data were collected from ...voluntary, online, anonymous surveys, which included ratings of the pandemic’s impact on their 1) experience of Honours research activities, and 2) sense of relatedness, competence, autonomy, and wellbeing. Self-determination theory (SDT), which posits that the psychological needs of relatedness, competence, and autonomy lead to a sense of wellbeing, provided a theoretical framework for understanding student and supervisor experience during the pandemic. Both students and supervisors indicated significant impact of the pandemic on the students’ research projects, and the degree of perceived impact did not differ between students and supervisors. There was no relationship between the severity of impact and student or supervisor wellbeing. Student wellbeing was low, but the hypotheses that student SDT needs would not be met were only partly supported. Overall, the extent to which Honours students’ SDT needs were met predicted wellbeing; the outcome was similar for supervisors. Our hypothesis that SDT needs and wellbeing would be higher for supervisors than for students was supported. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed, including recommendations for Honours programs as we move through the current pandemic.
Highly prevalent in nature, fractal patterns possess self-similar components that repeat at varying size scales. The perceptual experience of human-made environments can be impacted with inclusion of ...these natural patterns. Previous work has demonstrated consistent trends in preference for and complexity estimates of fractal patterns. However, limited information has been gathered on the impact of other visual judgments. Here we examine the aesthetic and perceptual experience of fractal ‘global-forest’ designs already installed in humanmade spaces and demonstrate how fractal pattern components are associated with positive psychological experiences that can be utilized to promote occupant wellbeing. These designs are composite fractal patterns consisting of individual fractal ‘tree-seeds’ which combine to create a ‘global fractal forest.’ The local ‘tree-seed’ patterns, global configuration of tree-seed locations, and overall resulting ‘global-forest’ patterns have fractal qualities. These designs span multiple mediums yet are all intended to lower occupant stress without detracting from the function and overall design of the space. In this series of studies, we first establish divergent relationships between various visual attributes, with pattern complexity, preference, and engagement ratings increasing with fractal complexity compared to ratings of refreshment and relaxation which stay the same or decrease with complexity. Subsequently, we determine that the local constituent fractal (‘tree-seed’) patterns contribute to the perception of the overall fractal design, and address how to balance aesthetic and psychological effects (such as individual experiences of perceived engagement and relaxation) in fractal design installations. This set of studies demonstrates that fractal preference is driven by a balance between increased arousal (desire for engagement and complexity) and decreased tension (desire for relaxation or refreshment). Installations of these composite mid-high complexity ‘global-forest’ patterns consisting of ‘tree-seed’ components balance these contrasting needs, and can serve as a practical implementation of biophilic patterns in human-made environments to promote occupant wellbeing.
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