Circles Are Detected Faster Than Downward-Pointing Triangles in a Speeded Response Task.

Simple geometric shapes are associated with facial emotional expressions. According to previous research, a downward-pointing triangle conveys the threatening perception of an angry facial expression, and a circle conveys the pleasant perception of a happy facial expression. Some studies showed that downward-pointing triangles have the advantage to capture attention faster than circles. Other studies proposed that curvature enhances visual detection and guides attention. We tested a downward-pointing triangle and a circle as target stimuli for a speeded response task. The distractors were two stimuli that resulted from the mixture of both targets to control for low-level features' balanced presentation. We used 3 × 3, 4 × 4, and 5 × 5 matrices to test whether these shapes led attention to an efficient response. In Experiment 1, participants responded faster to the circle than to the downward-pointing triangle. They also responded slower to both targets as the number of distractors increased. In Experiment 2, we replicated the main findings of Experiment 1. Overall, the circle was detected faster than the downward-pointing triangle with small matrices, but this difference decreased as the matrix size increased. We suggest that circles capture attention faster because of the influence of low-level features, that is, curvature in this case.

Keep your (social) distance: Pathogen concerns and social perception in the time of COVID-19.

Previous research suggests that individual differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity and social anxiety predict avoidance behavior, especially of pathogen cues, and reduced tolerance for social ambiguity. Conversely, generalized social trust is associated with approach behavior and a greater tolerance for social ambiguity. We conducted an online study (N = 1078) to test these predictions in the context of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Specifically, we assessed whether individual differences in pathogen disgust sensitivity, social anxiety and generalized social trust predicted judgments of trustworthiness, desired social distance and perceptions of sickness of target faces wearing surgical masks. Our results showed that (a) high sensitivity to pathogen disgust predicted lower judgments of trustworthiness and lower social desirability; (b) high social anxiety predicted higher perceptions of illness and lower judgments of trustworthiness; and (c) generalized social trust predicted higher judgments of trustworthiness and lower perceptions of illness of target faces. Further, we found that mask wearers were perceived as more likely to be ill, more trustworthy and more socially desirable than the same faces presented to a control group, without the surgical mask superimposed. Results are discussed in terms of perceived compliance with an emerging social norm overriding the intrinsic untrustworthiness of masked faces.

In masks we trust: explicit and implicit reactions to masked faces vary by political orientation.

Previous studies in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic indicated that wearing a medical-style mask affects whether a stranger's face is judged as more trustworthy, socially desirable, or likely to be ill. However, given political controversies around mask use, these effects might vary by political orientation. In a pre-registered online experiment, we measured evaluations of trustworthiness, social desirability and perceived illness in masked and unmasked faces by 1241 British and US participants. We included questions on political orientation, along with the implicit online-VAAST approach/avoid task to test reaction times to masked/unmasked faces. There was a medium-sized effect of masks on trustworthiness and a significant interaction with political orientation, in that conservatives found masked faces less trustworthy than did liberals. Participants were quicker to approach masked than unmasked faces, but conservatives were relatively slower than liberals. The effects on trustworthiness suggest that differential moralization of novel social norms can affect how their adherents are evaluated in terms of their suitability for social interactions. Furthermore, the congruence between implicit and explicit methods implies that such differences can have deep-seated effects on reactions.

Exploring the Relationship between Callous-Unemotional Traits and Implicit Attitudes toward Violence.

Past research has associated callous-unemotional traits (CU) in young people with serious conduct problems and antisocial behavior. However, whether CU traits influence implicit attitudes toward violence remains largely unexplored. We assess this hypothesis in two independent samples: a sample of youth with no criminal records (Study 1, N = 86), and in a sample of young offenders (Study 2, N = 61). Both groups were not compared due to theoretical (very different demographics) and statistical reasons (the total sample was insufficient to be able to reach the statistical power required in the comparison of both groups). Further, we use an implicit procedure to examine whether CU traits modulate wanting for violent stimuli. Across two samples of youth, we found little evidence of an association between CU traits and implicit violent cognition. In youth with no criminal records, implicit attitudes toward violence were related to the unemotional factor of CU traits, but unrelated to other factors and to a global CU traits score. CU traits were not associated with implicit attitudes toward violence in young offenders. The latter finding was mirrored in the implicit wanting task. Overall, our findings cast some doubts on the adequacy of implicit measures to assess implicit violent cognition in youth with CU traits. We discuss potential methodological limitations of this research (e.g., characteristics of the sample and performance in the implicit procedures) that may impact our results.

How universal is preference for visual curvature? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Evidence dating back a century shows that humans are sensitive to and exhibit a preference for visual curvature. This effect has been observed in different age groups, human cultures, and primate species, suggesting that a preference for curvature could be universal. At the same time, several studies have found that preference for curvature is modulated by contextual and individual factors, casting doubt on this hypothesis. To resolve these conflicting findings, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis of studies that have investigated the preference for visual curvature. Our meta-analysis included 61 studies which provided 106 independent samples and 309 effect sizes. The results of a three-level random effects model revealed a Hedges' g of 0.39-consistent with a medium effect size. Further analyses revealed that preference for curvature is moderated by four factors: presentation time, stimulus type, expertise, and task. Together, our results suggest that preference for visual curvature is a reliable but not universal phenomenon and is influenced by factors other than perceptual information.

Shape familiarity modulates preference for curvature in drawings of common-use objects.

Drawing is a way to represent common-use objects. The contour of an object is a salient feature that defines its identity. Preference for a contour (curved or angular) may depend on how familiar the resulting shape looks for that given object. In this research, we examined the influence of shape familiarity on preference for curved or sharp-angled drawings of common-use objects. We also examined the possibility that some individual differences modulated this preference. Preference for curvature was assessed with a liking rating task (Experiment 1) and with a two-alternative forced-choice task simulating approach/avoidance responses (Experiment 2). Shape familiarity was assessed with a familiarity selection task where participants selected the most familiar shape between the curved and the angular version for each object, or whether both shapes were equally familiar for the object. We found a consistent preference for curvature in both experiments. This preference increased when the objects with a curved shape were selected as the most familiar ones. We also found preference for curvature when participants selected the shape of objects as equally familiar. However, there was no preference for curvature or preference for angularity when participants selected the sharp-angled shapes as the most familiar ones. In Experiment 2, holistic and affective types of intuition predicted higher preference for curvature. Conversely, participants with higher scores in the unconventionality facet showed less preference for the curved drawings. We conclude that shape familiarity and individual characteristics modulate preference for curvature.

When symmetric and curved visual contour meet intentional instructions: Hedonic value and preference.

Symmetry and contour take part in shaping visual preference. However, less is known about their combined contribution to preference. We examined the hedonic tone and preference triggered by the interaction of symmetry and contour. Symmetric/curved, symmetric/sharp-angled, asymmetric/curved, and asymmetric/sharp-angled stimuli were presented in an implicit and explicit task. The implicit task consisted of an affective stimulus-response compatibility task where participants matched the stimuli with positive and negative valence response cues. The explicit task recorded liking ratings from the same stimuli. We used instructed mindset to induce participants to focus on symmetry or contour in different parts of the experimental session. We found an implicit compatibility of symmetry and curvature with positive hedonic tone. Explicit results showed preference for symmetry and curvature. In both tasks, symmetry and curvature showed a cumulative interaction, with a larger contribution of symmetry to the overall effect. While symmetric and asymmetric stimuli contributed to the implicit positive valence of symmetry, the effect of curvature was mainly caused by inclination towards curved contours rather than rejection of sharp-angled contours. We did not find any correlation between implicit and explicit measures, suggesting that they may involve different cognitive processing.

Reply to Myszkowski et al. (2020): Some matters of fact concerning aesthetic sensitivity.

We respond to some of Myszkowski and colleagues' (2020, Br. J. Psychology) critical comments on our recent work on aesthetic sensitivity (Corradi, Chuquichambi, Barrada, Clemente, & Nadal, 2020, Br. J. Psychology). We show that these comments stem mostly from factual inaccuracies.

A new conception of visual aesthetic sensitivity.

Aesthetic sensitivity has been defined as the ability to recognize and appreciate beauty and compositional excellence, and to judge artistic merit according to standards of aesthetic value. The Visual Aesthetic Sensitivity Test (VAST) has often been used to assess this ability, but recent research has revealed it has several psychometric problems. Such problems are not easily remedied, because they reflect flawed assumptions inherent to the concept of aesthetic sensitivity as traditionally understood, and to the VAST itself. We introduce a new conception of aesthetic sensitivity defined as the extent to which someone's aesthetic valuation is influenced by a given feature. Experiment 1 aimed to characterize aesthetic sensitivity to four prominent features in visual aesthetics: complexity, symmetry, contour, and balance. Experiment 2 aimed to replicate the findings of Experiment 1 and to assess the test-retest reliability of an instrument designed to measure aesthetic sensitivity to these features using an abridged set of stimuli. Our results reveal that people differ remarkably in the extent to which visual features influence their liking, highlighting the crucial role of individual variation when modelling aesthetic preferences. We did not find clear relations between the four measures of aesthetic sensitivity and personality, intelligence, and art interest and knowledge. Finally, our measurement instrument exhibited an adequate-to-good test-retest reliability.

Aesthetic sensitivity to curvature in real objects and abstract designs.

The features of objects have a strong influence on how we evaluate, judge, approach, and behave toward them. People generally prefer complex, symmetric, balanced and curved designs. In addition to these general trends, however, there are substantial differences among people in what they like and prefer, and in the extent to which their preferences and choices are modulated by design features. Here we aimed to determine whether curvature in real objects and abstract designs influenced participants' preference to the same extent. We found that, in general, participants prefer real objects and abstract designs with curved contours. But we also uncovered a remarkable breadth of variation in individual preferences. Finally, our results show that people who are highly sensitive to curvature in real objects are also highly sensitive to curvature in abstract designs, and that people who are insensitive to curvature in one kind of stimulus are also insensitive to the other.