Pub Date : 2026-01-08DOI: 10.1177/02762374251412257
Shannon J. Skeffington, Adam J. Lonsdale, Clare J. Rathbone, Mark Burgess
The present study aimed to systematically review research concerning changes in music consumption across the lifespan to better understand how adults of all ages consume music. Keyword searches of four academic databases identified 2,002 peer-reviewed articles, and of these, fifteen articles were selected for review using the PRISMA protocol. The findings indicated that very few studies have investigated how people of all ages consume music, and the limited research on this topic has been methodologically inconsistent, leading to contradictory and inconclusive findings. This review also identified a shortlist of possible factors (e.g., life goals, personality, conformity) that might account for any age-related changes in musical consumption. As life expectancy and the proportion of elderly people continue to increase in many countries, the review recommends that future research should seek to reflect how people of all ages consume music and identify factors responsible for any changes as people grow older.
{"title":"Music Consumption: A Systematic Review Across the Lifespan","authors":"Shannon J. Skeffington, Adam J. Lonsdale, Clare J. Rathbone, Mark Burgess","doi":"10.1177/02762374251412257","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251412257","url":null,"abstract":"The present study aimed to systematically review research concerning changes in music consumption across the lifespan to better understand how adults of all ages consume music. Keyword searches of four academic databases identified 2,002 peer-reviewed articles, and of these, fifteen articles were selected for review using the PRISMA protocol. The findings indicated that very few studies have investigated how people of all ages consume music, and the limited research on this topic has been methodologically inconsistent, leading to contradictory and inconclusive findings. This review also identified a shortlist of possible factors (e.g., life goals, personality, conformity) that might account for any age-related changes in musical consumption. As life expectancy and the proportion of elderly people continue to increase in many countries, the review recommends that future research should seek to reflect how people of all ages consume music and identify factors responsible for any changes as people grow older.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"84 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145920114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-05DOI: 10.1177/02762374251412761
Zefei Chen, Zijun Han, Lei Wu, Jianping Huang
Some forms of art provide information through a single sensory modality, whereas multisensory information usually enhances aesthetic experience. When external information is unavailable, mental imagery can function as “weak perception”, supplying additional sensory details. A preregistered virtual reality study was conducted in an immersive virtual museum to examine how multisensory imagery, professional background, and sensory imagery ability relate to imagery vividness, emotional arousal, valence, and the aesthetic appeal of paintings. The results demonstrated that multisensory imagery significantly influenced aesthetic evaluations, and that individuals’ imagery abilities were associated with these evaluations. Further analyses indicated that vividness and emotional arousal statistically accounted for the association between multisensory imagery and aesthetic appeal, and that vividness accounted for the association between sensory imagery ability and aesthetic evaluations. These findings link multisensory imagery to vividness and aesthetic appeal, offering implications for aesthetic cognition. They also suggest that intentional multisensory imagery training may improve art appreciation.
{"title":"Multisensory Imagery Enhances the Aesthetic Evaluation of Paintings: A Virtual Reality Study","authors":"Zefei Chen, Zijun Han, Lei Wu, Jianping Huang","doi":"10.1177/02762374251412761","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251412761","url":null,"abstract":"Some forms of art provide information through a single sensory modality, whereas multisensory information usually enhances aesthetic experience. When external information is unavailable, mental imagery can function as “weak perception”, supplying additional sensory details. A preregistered virtual reality study was conducted in an immersive virtual museum to examine how multisensory imagery, professional background, and sensory imagery ability relate to imagery vividness, emotional arousal, valence, and the aesthetic appeal of paintings. The results demonstrated that multisensory imagery significantly influenced aesthetic evaluations, and that individuals’ imagery abilities were associated with these evaluations. Further analyses indicated that vividness and emotional arousal statistically accounted for the association between multisensory imagery and aesthetic appeal, and that vividness accounted for the association between sensory imagery ability and aesthetic evaluations. These findings link multisensory imagery to vividness and aesthetic appeal, offering implications for aesthetic cognition. They also suggest that intentional multisensory imagery training may improve art appreciation.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145903695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1177/02762374251411265
Victor Lytvynenko, Olena Karandieieva, Olha Yatsenko, Andrii Tymchula, Artem Morozov
The current study aimed to investigate the antecedents of choreographic adaptability at the psychological and cognitive levels among professional Ukrainian choreographers and contemporary dancers in the context of global and national transformations. One hundred ninety-four participants from 46 Ukrainian cities were surveyed using six instruments: The Choreographic Transformation Questionnaire, the Flow Short Scale, the Body Self-Attitude Typology Scale, the Executive Network Activity Scale, the Passive Neurocognitive Activity Scale, and the Objective Cognitive Evaluation Scale. Heterogeneity in correlation patterns was significant, with choreographers exhibiting larger innovation-executive function and smaller symbolic embodiment-flow correlations. Dancers showed stronger symbolic links between embodiment and flow, whereas choreographers relied more on executive and metacognitive resources. Mediation analyses identified objective cognitive evaluation (cognitive–emotional flexibility) as a partial mediator between internal embodiment and overall innovation-readiness among choreographers. The results show that artistic adaptability in Ukrainian choreographic community members includes principal roles for psychological embodiment, flow, and cognitive control.
{"title":"Contemporary Trends in Choreographic art in Ukraine in the 21st Century: A Psychological Perspective","authors":"Victor Lytvynenko, Olena Karandieieva, Olha Yatsenko, Andrii Tymchula, Artem Morozov","doi":"10.1177/02762374251411265","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251411265","url":null,"abstract":"The current study aimed to investigate the antecedents of choreographic adaptability at the psychological and cognitive levels among professional Ukrainian choreographers and contemporary dancers in the context of global and national transformations. One hundred ninety-four participants from 46 Ukrainian cities were surveyed using six instruments: The Choreographic Transformation Questionnaire, the Flow Short Scale, the Body Self-Attitude Typology Scale, the Executive Network Activity Scale, the Passive Neurocognitive Activity Scale, and the Objective Cognitive Evaluation Scale. Heterogeneity in correlation patterns was significant, with choreographers exhibiting larger innovation-executive function and smaller symbolic embodiment-flow correlations. Dancers showed stronger symbolic links between embodiment and flow, whereas choreographers relied more on executive and metacognitive resources. Mediation analyses identified objective cognitive evaluation (cognitive–emotional flexibility) as a partial mediator between internal embodiment and overall innovation-readiness among choreographers. The results show that artistic adaptability in Ukrainian choreographic community members includes principal roles for psychological embodiment, flow, and cognitive control.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2026-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145893684","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-28DOI: 10.1177/02762374251401088
Revital Naor-Ziv, Elinor Levi, Joseph Glicksohn
The present study examined the personality traits of those who are attracted to dark visual art, in an attempt to understand whether their attraction to this dark genre indicates any of the dark traits. The study examined a sample of 241 participants from a specific forum of dark visual art fans (80% women and 20% men), aged between 18–65. Participants completed three online personality questionnaires: the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ / SF), examining the five traits of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Activity, Aggressiveness and Sensation Seeking; the SD3, assessing the Dark Triad traits of Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy; and the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short). The fan of Dark Art, on average, scores higher than relevant controls on Machiavellianism (but not higher on Narcissism or Psychopathy); scores higher on Aggressiveness (but not higher on Sensation Seeking), but lower on Activity; and scores lower on Extraversion while scoring higher on Neuroticism.
{"title":"“The Dark Beholder”: Personality Profile of Dark Visual Art Fans","authors":"Revital Naor-Ziv, Elinor Levi, Joseph Glicksohn","doi":"10.1177/02762374251401088","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251401088","url":null,"abstract":"The present study examined the personality traits of those who are attracted to dark visual art, in an attempt to understand whether their attraction to this dark genre indicates any of the dark traits. The study examined a sample of 241 participants from a specific forum of dark visual art fans (80% women and 20% men), aged between 18–65. Participants completed three online personality questionnaires: the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire (ZKA-PQ / SF), examining the five traits of Extraversion, Neuroticism, Activity, Aggressiveness and Sensation Seeking; the SD3, assessing the Dark Triad traits of Narcissism, Machiavellianism, and Psychopathy; and the Empathy Quotient (EQ-Short). The fan of Dark Art, on average, scores higher than relevant controls on Machiavellianism (but not higher on Narcissism or Psychopathy); scores higher on Aggressiveness (but not higher on Sensation Seeking), but lower on Activity; and scores lower on Extraversion while scoring higher on Neuroticism.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145614124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-03DOI: 10.1177/02762374251391644
Xiaolei Sun, Jiajia Che, Helmut Leder, Marcos Nadal
We examined how familiarity with low or high complexity images influences complexity, liking and understanding judgments. Participants were first familiarized with either low or high complexity images. They then rated a set of intermediately complex images on perceived complexity, liking, and understanding. Data were analyzed using Bayesian mixed-effects models, controlling for declarative art knowledge, art interest, and visual art recognition. Participants familiarized with high complexity images rated intermediately complex images as less complex, indicating a contrast effect. Higher declarative art knowledge was linked to increased complexity ratings. Additionally, liking judgments were predicted by complexity ratings, especially among participants familiarized with simpler images, revealing that prior exposure shapes the relationship between complexity and liking. In contrast, understanding judgments were unaffected by complexity ratings or familiarization. These findings highlight the role of prior exposure in shaping visual complexity judgments, demonstrating how familiarity with certain complexity levels recalibrates perceptual baselines and influences subsequent evaluative judgments.
{"title":"Exposure to Different Levels of Visual Complexity Influences Judgments of Complexity and Liking","authors":"Xiaolei Sun, Jiajia Che, Helmut Leder, Marcos Nadal","doi":"10.1177/02762374251391644","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251391644","url":null,"abstract":"We examined how familiarity with low or high complexity images influences complexity, liking and understanding judgments. Participants were first familiarized with either low or high complexity images. They then rated a set of intermediately complex images on perceived complexity, liking, and understanding. Data were analyzed using Bayesian mixed-effects models, controlling for declarative art knowledge, art interest, and visual art recognition. Participants familiarized with high complexity images rated intermediately complex images as less complex, indicating a contrast effect. Higher declarative art knowledge was linked to increased complexity ratings. Additionally, liking judgments were predicted by complexity ratings, especially among participants familiarized with simpler images, revealing that prior exposure shapes the relationship between complexity and liking. In contrast, understanding judgments were unaffected by complexity ratings or familiarization. These findings highlight the role of prior exposure in shaping visual complexity judgments, demonstrating how familiarity with certain complexity levels recalibrates perceptual baselines and influences subsequent evaluative judgments.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"88 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145434988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1177/02762374251386303
Alexis D. J. Makin, Farah Akthar
Visual regularities activate the visual cortex and generate an Event Related Potential (ERP) called the Sustained Posterior Negativity (SPN). Previous research suggests that aesthetic preference and SPN amplitude correlate: People like the visual regularities that generate a large SPN. We found further evidence from a new study, which built on SPN results from previous research. As predicted, participants preferred reflection, circular and radial Glass patterns to translational Glass patterns (reflection = circular = radial >> translation). These results support the perceptual fluency model and suggest that preference for abstract symmetry is not predominantly a side effect of innate attraction to symmetrical faces.
{"title":"Aesthetic Preference for Glass Patterns is Predicted by Known Activations of the Extrastriate Visual cortex","authors":"Alexis D. J. Makin, Farah Akthar","doi":"10.1177/02762374251386303","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251386303","url":null,"abstract":"Visual regularities activate the visual cortex and generate an Event Related Potential (ERP) called the Sustained Posterior Negativity (SPN). Previous research suggests that aesthetic preference and SPN amplitude correlate: People like the visual regularities that generate a large SPN. We found further evidence from a new study, which built on SPN results from previous research. As predicted, participants preferred reflection, circular and radial Glass patterns to translational Glass patterns (reflection = circular = radial >> translation). These results support the perceptual fluency model and suggest that preference for abstract symmetry is not predominantly a side effect of innate attraction to symmetrical faces.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145397888","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-22DOI: 10.1177/02762374251386302
Connor S. Wagner, Mariola Paruzel-Czachura, Clifford I. Workman, Satvika L. Kumar, Lauren K. Salinero, Carlos E. Barrero, Matthew E. Pontell, Jesse A. Taylor, Anjan Chatterjee
Cinema is a powerful art form that shapes social norms. One enduring trope is the “scarred villain,” where facial differences signify moral corruption. Recent advocacy has challenged this stereotype, suggesting a shift in how anomalies are portrayed. To assess trends, we analyzed top-grossing films over four decades in the U.S. and two in India. While the number of villains with facial differences remained stable, heroes with such features increased. Country of origin did not predict the presence of facial anomalies in either heroes or villains. These features were most common in action and fantasy genres. Villains’ facial differences tended to be larger and more visually prominent than those of heroes. Men were more often depicted with facial anomalies than women. We also explored whether mature-rated films were more likely to include such portrayals but found no evidence. Our findings emphasize cinema's role in reinforcing stereotypes and call for critical reflection.
{"title":"Exploring Film as Popular Art Promoting Scarred Villain Trope","authors":"Connor S. Wagner, Mariola Paruzel-Czachura, Clifford I. Workman, Satvika L. Kumar, Lauren K. Salinero, Carlos E. Barrero, Matthew E. Pontell, Jesse A. Taylor, Anjan Chatterjee","doi":"10.1177/02762374251386302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251386302","url":null,"abstract":"Cinema is a powerful art form that shapes social norms. One enduring trope is the “scarred villain,” where facial differences signify moral corruption. Recent advocacy has challenged this stereotype, suggesting a shift in how anomalies are portrayed. To assess trends, we analyzed top-grossing films over four decades in the U.S. and two in India. While the number of villains with facial differences remained stable, heroes with such features increased. Country of origin did not predict the presence of facial anomalies in either heroes or villains. These features were most common in action and fantasy genres. Villains’ facial differences tended to be larger and more visually prominent than those of heroes. Men were more often depicted with facial anomalies than women. We also explored whether mature-rated films were more likely to include such portrayals but found no evidence. Our findings emphasize cinema's role in reinforcing stereotypes and call for critical reflection.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"61 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145397893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1177/02762374251376597
Rahele Nouri Azandaryani, Ali Nouri, Mahmoud Mehrmohammadi
Drawing on theoretical support for the cognitive benefits of the arts, this study explored the impact of different art forms on executive functions. Sixty students (aged 13–15) from Malayer, Iran, completed the Free Research Executive Evaluation (FREE) battery. Three groups had at least one year of after-school training in music, painting, or theater, while a fourth group had no arts training. The music group achieved the highest scores in shifting and updating tasks, followed by the painting group, which outperformed theater and non-art-trained students. In inhibition, the theater group scored highest in Victoria Stroop–Inhibition and Happy–Sad–Inhibition tasks, with post-hoc comparisons showing an advantage over music in Victoria Stroop. Art-trained groups outperformed the non-art-trained group in most tasks, except Victoria Stroop, where non-art-trained students scored higher than music but not theater or painting, though the difference was not significant. These findings suggest that training in different art forms may enhance executive functions in distinct ways.
{"title":"A Comparative Analysis of the Impact of After-School Arts Programs on Executive Functions","authors":"Rahele Nouri Azandaryani, Ali Nouri, Mahmoud Mehrmohammadi","doi":"10.1177/02762374251376597","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251376597","url":null,"abstract":"Drawing on theoretical support for the cognitive benefits of the arts, this study explored the impact of different art forms on executive functions. Sixty students (aged 13–15) from Malayer, Iran, completed the Free Research Executive Evaluation (FREE) battery. Three groups had at least one year of after-school training in music, painting, or theater, while a fourth group had no arts training. The music group achieved the highest scores in shifting and updating tasks, followed by the painting group, which outperformed theater and non-art-trained students. In inhibition, the theater group scored highest in Victoria Stroop–Inhibition and Happy–Sad–Inhibition tasks, with post-hoc comparisons showing an advantage over music in Victoria Stroop. Art-trained groups outperformed the non-art-trained group in most tasks, except Victoria Stroop, where non-art-trained students scored higher than music but not theater or painting, though the difference was not significant. These findings suggest that training in different art forms may enhance executive functions in distinct ways.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"24 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145056708","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-26DOI: 10.1177/02762374251371286
Simina Pitur, Andrei C. Miu
Examining what people ‘hear’ in silent reading may advance our understanding of how poetry evokes emotions. Integrating different perspectives on affective language processing, both in social interactions and in fiction, the present paper introduces a new model of poetry-elicited emotions. In particular, we argue for separating the auditory simulation of the written text from other multisensory simulations that may arise during reading. Finally, we review emerging empirical findings in support of our model and outline several directions for future research.
{"title":"The Poet is Speaking: A Case for Studying the Role of Auditory Imagery in Poetry-Elicited Emotions","authors":"Simina Pitur, Andrei C. Miu","doi":"10.1177/02762374251371286","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251371286","url":null,"abstract":"Examining what people ‘hear’ in silent reading may advance our understanding of how poetry evokes emotions. Integrating different perspectives on affective language processing, both in social interactions and in fiction, the present paper introduces a new model of poetry-elicited emotions. In particular, we argue for separating the auditory simulation of the written text from other multisensory simulations that may arise during reading. Finally, we review emerging empirical findings in support of our model and outline several directions for future research.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"13 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144905763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-08-25DOI: 10.1177/02762374251371282
Shaokang Chen, Allan Whitfield, Deirdre Barron, Zuriawati Ahmad Zahari, Safia Najwa Suhaimi, Linqi Huang, Yimin Wang
The ‘ Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable ’ ( MAYA ) principle has been widely recognized in design research, emphasizing that both typicality and novelty are key predictors of aesthetic preference and that people prefer a combination of both features in design. However, existing studies do not fully explain why one predictor may have a greater influence on aesthetic preference than the other. This study investigates the role of typicality and novelty in explaining aesthetic preferences across rich (with multiple sub-categories) and poor categories (with few sub-categories). Using furniture as stimuli, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 306 participants with non-design backgrounds. The results indicate that typicality is a stronger predictor for poor categories, while novelty has a greater influence on rich categories. These findings suggest that object category richness influences the weight of typicality and novelty in shaping aesthetic preference, offering further elaboration and nuanced interpretation of the MAYA principle that ‘ Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable ’ is suitable for rich categories while ‘ Most Acceptable, Yet Advanced ’ is for poor categories. The study also highlights the necessity of object categorization when integrating typicality and novelty into product designs. These results provide new insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying aesthetic preference, with implications for both theoretical development and practical design applications.
{"title":"Categorization and Aesthetic Preference: Examining Typicality and Novelty Across Rich and Poor Categories","authors":"Shaokang Chen, Allan Whitfield, Deirdre Barron, Zuriawati Ahmad Zahari, Safia Najwa Suhaimi, Linqi Huang, Yimin Wang","doi":"10.1177/02762374251371282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/02762374251371282","url":null,"abstract":"The ‘ <jats:italic>Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable</jats:italic> ’ ( <jats:italic>MAYA</jats:italic> ) principle has been widely recognized in design research, emphasizing that both typicality and novelty are key predictors of aesthetic preference and that people prefer a combination of both features in design. However, existing studies do not fully explain why one predictor may have a greater influence on aesthetic preference than the other. This study investigates the role of typicality and novelty in explaining aesthetic preferences across rich (with multiple sub-categories) and poor categories (with few sub-categories). Using furniture as stimuli, a questionnaire survey was conducted with 306 participants with non-design backgrounds. The results indicate that typicality is a stronger predictor for poor categories, while novelty has a greater influence on rich categories. These findings suggest that object category richness influences the weight of typicality and novelty in shaping aesthetic preference, offering further elaboration and nuanced interpretation of the <jats:italic>MAYA</jats:italic> principle that ‘ <jats:italic>Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable</jats:italic> ’ is suitable for rich categories while ‘ <jats:italic>Most Acceptable, Yet Advanced</jats:italic> ’ is for poor categories. The study also highlights the necessity of object categorization when integrating typicality and novelty into product designs. These results provide new insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying aesthetic preference, with implications for both theoretical development and practical design applications.","PeriodicalId":45870,"journal":{"name":"Empirical Studies of the Arts","volume":"8 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2025-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144898964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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