Bode, Carole 
ORCID: 0000-0003-1804-8910, Helmy, Mai and Bertamini, Marco ORCID: 0000-0001-8617-6864
(2017)
A cross-cultural comparison for preference for symmetry: comparing British and Egyptians non-experts.
PSIHOLOGIJA, 50 (3).
pp. 383-402.
Abstract
<jats:p>The aesthetic appeal of symmetry has been noted and discussed by artists, historians and scientists. To what extent this appeal is universal is a difficult question to answer. From a theoretical perspective, cross-cultural comparisons are important, because similarities would support the universality of the response to symmetry. Some pioneering work has focussed on comparisons between Britain and Egypt (Soueif & Eysenck, 1971, 1972), including both experts and naive subjects. These studies confirmed some degree of universal agreement in preferences for simple abstract symmetry. We revisited this comparison after almost half a century. We compared preferences of na?ve students in Egypt (n = 200) and Britain (n= 200) for 6 different classes of symmetry in novel, abstract stimuli. We used three different measurements of complexity: Gif ratio, Edge length and the average cell size (average blob size, ABS). The results support Soueif & Eysenck?s findings regarding preferences for reflectional and rotational symmetry, however they also throw new light on a greater preference for simplicity in Egyptian participants already noted by Soueif & Eysenck (1971).</jats:p>
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | symmetry, aesthetic preference, beauty, complexity, cross-cultural preferences |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 06 Nov 2017 07:29 |
| Last Modified: | 19 Jan 2023 06:51 |
| DOI: | 10.2298/PSI1703383B |
| Open Access URL: | http://www.doiserbia.nb.rs/Article.aspx?ID=0048-57... |
| Related URLs: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3011499 |
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