What is it about?
Over 600 participants were requested to play with Interactive Objects (IOs; which are three-dimensional physical artefacts that exhibit autonomous behaviour when handled). They then rated the objects on different aesthetic dimensions, such as Interesting, Relaxing, Comfortable, etc . Objects differ in their behaviour (emitting light, sound, vibrating, and no-behaviour). Objects differ also in their contour (round vs sharp), in their size (small vs large) and their texture (rough vs smooth). Results show that IOs behaviour was the dominant factor, people of different age, culture, and gender find IOs more attractive than traditional objects. Results also showed that rough smooth objects are preferred over sharp smooth objects. No effect of size emerged. It is suggested that behaviour may be an aesthetic primitive.
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Why is it important?
This is important because it shows that "behaviour" may be an aesthetic primitive, i.e. a primary or fundamental “stimulus or property of a stimulus that is intrinsically interesting, even in the absence of narrative meaning, because it resonates with the mechanisms of the visual system processing it” (Latto, 1995; p. 68)
Perspectives
Conducting this research was really exciting. Being fundamentally interdisciplinary it brought together different strands of practice and allowed different perspectives to open up innovation, and fuel debate. Bringing people and strands together strengthened communication of ideas and created something more significant than the sum of its parts. Another exciting part of the project was the involvement of the public. Over 600 participants from the local community voluntarily took part in the experiments and this strengthened the connection between the university and the society.
Alesssandro Soranzo
Sheffield Hallam University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: On the perceptual aesthetics of interactive objects, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, January 2018, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1747021817749228.
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