Curve Appeal: Exploring Individual Differences in Preference for Curved Versus Angular Objects

Cotter, Katherine N, Silvia, Paul J, Bertamini, Marco ORCID: 0000-0001-8617-6864, Palumbo, Letizia and Vartanian, Oshin (2017) Curve Appeal: Exploring Individual Differences in Preference for Curved Versus Angular Objects. I-PERCEPTION, 8 (2). 2041669517693023-.

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Abstract

A preference for smooth curvature, as opposed to angularity, is a well-established finding for lines, two-dimensional shapes, and complex objects, but little is known about individual differences. We used two-dimensional black-and-white shapes-randomly generated irregular polygons, and arrays of circles and hexagons-and measured many individual differences, including artistic expertise, personality, and cognitive style. As expected, people preferred curved over angular stimuli, and people's degree of curvature preference correlated across the two sets of shapes. Multilevel models showed varying patterns of interaction between shape and individual differences. For the irregular polygons, people higher in artistic expertise or openness to experience showed a greater preference for curvature. This pattern was not evident for the arrays of circles and hexagons. We discuss the results in relation to the nature of the stimuli, and we conclude that individual differences do play a role in moderating the preference for smooth curvature.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	angularity, curvature, aesthetics, openness to experience, art expertise
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	19 May 2017 11:38
Last Modified:	19 Jan 2023 07:04
DOI:	10.1177/2041669517693023
Related URLs:	Author Publisher
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3007556