Individual differences in sensitivity to taste-shape crossmodal correspondences

People generally associate curved and symmetrical shapes with sweetness, while associating angular and asymmetrical shapes with the other basic tastes (e.g., sour, bitter). However, these group-level taste-shape correspondences likely conceal important variation at an individual-level. We examined the extent to which individuals vary in their sensitivity to crossmodal correspondence between curvature and symmetry, on the one hand, and the five basic taste qualities (sweet, bitter, salty, sour, and umami), on the other. In Experiment 1, participants matched shapes (curved vs. angular, symmetrical vs. asymmetrical) and taste words. In Experiment 2, participants performed a similar task, though this time using actual tastants. Given that people differ in their hedonic experience of such shapes and tastes, we also measured participants’ liking for each taste and shape separately. The results replicate the general crossmodal correspondences between curved-sweet and symmetrical-sweet stimuli. Furthermore, participants tended to match sour and bitter tastes with angular and asymmetrical stimuli. However, these group-level taste-shape correspondences coexist alongside substantial variation at the level of the individual. While some participants consistently matched specific tastes with curved and symmetrical stimuli, others consistently matched these tastes with angular and asymmetrical stimuli, or else did not show these taste-shape correspondences. Liking for curved and symmetrical stimuli was higher than for angular and asymmetrical stimuli. However, participants also differed considerably in the extent to which these visual features affected their liking. Overall, our findings highlight the substantial individual differences that are associated with the degree to which people associate and like shapes and tastes

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 mistrustfulness of masked faces.Peer reviewe

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.The research leading to these results has received support from ‘la Caixa’ Foundation (ID 100010434) with fellowship code LCF/BQ/ES17/11600021, and from Grant PSI2016‐77327‐P, awarded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad

Sweet and bitter near-threshold solutions activate cross-modal correspondence between taste and shapes of cups

Recent studies have pointed out some cross-modal correspondences between flavoured beverages, as well as basic taste solutions, and specific geometric visual cues. Some of them associate known drink tastes to shapes of receptacles. In particular, sweetness is associated with curved receptacles and bitterness with sharp-angled ones. Our study aimed to test the hypothesis according to which near-threshold solutions might also activate this cross-modal correspondence. We used two different cup forms, one curved and the other sharp-angled, with pure sweet and bitter solutions just above sensorial thresholds. We designed two tasks using a two-alternative forced-choice test. Participants had to decide which drink was sweeter, Task 1, and bitterer, Task 2, from the curved and sharp-angled cups. Results showed the cross-modal correspondence but only when participants drank first from the curved cup and second from the sharp-angled cup. The effect disappeared when participants drank first from the sharp-angled cup and second from the curved cup. This suggests that the correspondence emerges using sweet and bitter near-threshold solutions in specific conditions. On the other hand, results also showed that confidence level of responses was significantly higher in the bitter task than in the sweet task. We discuss these complex results in the light of different theoretical proposals to explain this cross-modal correspondence.This work was supported by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) of the Spanish Government and the European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) for its support to the project PSI2016-77327-P (MINECO/AEI/ERDF, EU)

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.Research funding: ‘la Caixa’ Foundation. Grant Number: 100010434. Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad. Grant Number: PSI2016‐ 77327‐P

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.This research was supported by grant PSI2016-77327-P, awarded by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad. The research leading to these results has received funding from “la Caixa” Banking Foundation

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

Abstract 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

Preference for paintings is also affected by curvature

The research was funded by the project PSI2016-77327-P of the Spanish government (AEI/ERDF, EU). The Erick G. Chuquichamb acknowledges the pre-doctoral contract FPU18/00365 granted by the Spanish government.Conception, design and performing of the experiments for Study 1: Nicole Ruta and Robert Pepperell. Conception, design and performing of the experiments for Study 2: Enric Munar, Javier Vañó, Erick G. Chuquichambi, Carlos Rey.Preference for curvature has been demonstrated using many types of stimuli, but it remains an open question whether curvature plays a relevant role in responses to original artworks. To investigate this, a novel set of paintings was created, consisting of three variations—curved, sharp-angled, and mixed—of the same 16 indeterminate subjects. The present research aimed to differentiate between liking and wanting decisions. We assessed liking both online (Study 1) and in the lab (Study 2, Task 2), using a continuous slider and a dichotomous forced choice, respectively. In both tasks, participants assigned higher ratings to the curved compared to the sharp-angled version of the paintings. Similarly, when participants were explicitly asked if they wanted to take the paintings home, they assigned higher wanting ratings to the curved version (Study 2, Task 3). However, when they were asked to act as a curator selecting the works they wanted for their gallery (Study 2, Task 4) and to make a physical effort to visually consume the painting (implicit wanting; Study 2, Task 1), no significant difference was found. Finally, we found that implicit wanting decisions did not predict liking for paintings, while liking predicted explicit wanting of the artworks in both the home and art contexts. This confirmed that it is possible to differentiate between liking and wanting responses to artistically relevant stimuli. We conclude that this theoretical distinction helps to explain previous conflicting results on the curvature effect, establishing a new line of research in the field of empirical aesthetics.PostprintPeer reviewe

The “Joker” laugh: Social judgments towards affective deviants in a sample of young offenders with callous unemotional traits

We assessed negative bias in Colombian young offenders towards affective deviants (those who violate emotional norms). Postulating that affective deviants elicit an “uncanny/creepy” feeling resembling that produced by psychopaths, we explored social judgments of affective deviants in individuals with callous-unemotional (CU) traits. 188 young offenders evaluated a target displaying congruent or incongruent affective displays in response to pictures eliciting positive/negative affect, depending on the condition. Affective deviants were rated as creepier and less trustworthy, and more likely to have bad moral character, than targets who displayed normative affect. Further, affective deviants who displayed positive affect in response to negative stimuli were rated as having worse moral character than those who displayed negative affect in response to positive stimuli. CU traits predicted lower trustworthiness judgments of targets in congruent conditions, but higher trustworthiness judgments of targets in incongruent conditions. CU traits also predicted higher desired social distance and creepiness judgments in congruent conditions. Creepiness ratings correlated with judgments of bad moral character, suggesting that this emotional response may be involved in moral evaluations of strangers. These findings indicate that deviant affective displays produce a variety of negative social judgments, with CU traits playing a role in these social cognitive heuristics.E.G.C. acknowledges the predoctoral contract FPU18/00365 granted by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades