4 research outputs found
Preference for Curvature: A Historical and Conceptual Framework
That people find curved contours and lines more pleasurable than straight ones is a recurrent observation in the aesthetic literature. Although such observation has been tested sporadically throughout the history of scientific psychology, only during the last decade has it been the object of systematic research. Recent studies lend support to the idea that human preference for curved contours is biologically determined. However, it has also been argued that this preference is a cultural phenomenon. In this article, we review the available evidence, together with different attempts to explain the nature of preference for curvature: sensoriomotor-based and valuation-based approaches. We also argue that the lack of a unifying framework and clearly defined concepts might be undermining our efforts towards a better understanding of the nature of preference for curvature. Finally, we point to a series of unresolved matters as the starting point to further develop a consistent research program.This study was funded by research grants FFI2010-20759 and FFI2013-43270-P from the Spanish Government鈥擬inisterio de Econom铆a y Competitividad (http://www.mineco.gob.es). GG-P was supported by the grant BES-2011-047441.Peer reviewedPeer Reviewe
Preference for curvature: A historical and conceptual framework
The idea that curved contours appear to be more pleasurable to the human eye than straight lines is a recurrent theme in aesthetic literature that has been occasionally explored from the scientific psychology. Empirical evidence about preference for curvature is sparse throughout the 20th century. It has not been until the last decade that renewed interest for curvature has arisen. Later studies lend support to the idea that human preference for curved contours could be biologically determined. However, it has also been argued that said preference might be a cultural effect. In this article, we review the available evidence, together with different attempts to explain the nature of preference for curvature: sensoriomotor-based and valuation-based approaches. We also argue that the lack of a unifying framework and clearly defined concepts might be undermining our efforts towards a better understanding of the nature of this phenomenon, and offer a series of unresolved matters as the starting point to further develop a consistent research program
Preference for curvature: A historical and conceptual framework
[eng] That people find curved contours and lines more pleasurable than straight ones is a recurrent observation in the aesthetic literature. Although such observation has been tested sporadically throughout the history of scientific psychology, only during the last decade has it been the object of systematic research. Recent studies lend support to the idea that human preference for curved contours is biologically determined. However, it has also been argued that this preference is a cultural phenomenon. In this article, we review the available evidence, together with different attempts to explain the nature of preference for curvature: sensoriomotor-based and valuation-based approaches. We also argue that the lack of a unifying framework and clearly defined concepts might be undermining our efforts towards a better understanding of the nature of preference for curvature. Finally, we point to a series of unresolved matters as the starting point to further develop a consistent research program