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Home > Scholarly Contributions > Abstracts > Volume 22 Issue 1
Volume 22 Issue 1
AN EMPIRICAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE INTERACTIVE INFLUENCE OF DISTANCE AND FLATNESS INFORMATION ON SIZE PERCEPTION IN PICTURES
R. J. MILLER, 2004, 22:1, 1-21.
Abstract: There is abundant evidence that both depth and flatness information influence the perception of size in pictures. In general, as depth information increases in salience, size perception approaches size constancy. Likewise, as flatness information increases in salience, size perception departs from size constancy and is influenced more by the size of the retinal image. There is relatively little empirical evidence, however, of their cumulative effects. With college students as participants, saliencies of depth and flatness information were independently manipulated in a factorial design, using colored photographs and drawings based on those photographs. In addition, two types of instructions were used, those that encouraged size constancy and those that encouraged responses based solely on retinal image size. Results showed that the salience of depth information and the salience of flatness information had a cumulative effect on size perception. For example, the combined effects of higher depth salience and lower flatness salience produced responses more closely approaching size constancy than did other combinations of depth and flatness salience. Furthermore, while instructions had a large effect in the expected direction (i.e., instructions encouraging size constancy resulted in responses that approached size constancy, and instructions encouraging attention to the size of the retinal image produced responses reflecting much less size constancy), the relative influences of depth and flatness salience were very similar for both types of instruction.

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ON STRUCTURE IN THE CREATIVE PROCESS: A QUANTITATIVE CASE-STUDY OF THE CREATION OF PICASSO'S GUERNICA
ROBERT W. WEISBERG, 2004, 22:1, 23-54.
Abstract: This article presents a quantitative analysis of Picasso's preliminary works for his painting Guernica, to examine the nature of the thought processes underlying creation of this great work of art and to demonstrate the usefulness of quantitative methods in studying creation of a single work of art. Results indicated that the preliminary works for Guernica were drawn from a very limited subject matter, which was closely related to the event that stimulated the painting. In addition, the overall structure of the painting can be seen from the very first sketches. Finally, the idea which served as the core for Guernica came out of Picasso's work at that time. These findings indicate that Picasso's creative process can be looked upon as elaborating a kernel idea, rather than generating numerous different ideas, and culling the final direction from them at a later stage. These results have two implications. Specifically, they indicate that it is possible to analyze the structure in Picasso's thought processes; more broadly, they demonstrate that development of individual works of art can be analyzed using quantitative methods to test hypotheses concerning the creative process.

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POETIC EMOTION AND POETIC STYLE: THE 100 POEMS MOST FREQUENTLY INCLUDED IN ANTHOLOGIES AND THE WORK OF EMILY DICKINSON
CYNTHIA WHISSELL, 2004, 22:1, 55-75.
Abstract: The 100 most frequently anthologized English poems and the work of Emily Dickinson were analyzed empirically in terms of emotion, sound, and style. Results for the 100 poems indicated that poetry was significantly more Pleasant, less Active, more highly Imaged, and in several ways more complex than normal everyday English. In terms of sounds, the 100 poems included significantly more Sad, Passive, Soft, and Pleasant sounds and fewer Active and Nasty sounds than everyday English. Because of relationships between measures, seven factors were sufficient to explain most of the differences among poems. The 100 most frequently anthologized poems are ranked individually in terms of these factors. The poems of Emily Dickinson were significantly less Pleasant, less Active, and more Negative, though containing more Active and Nasty sounds.

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OPENNESS TO EXPERIENCE, NON-CONFORMITY, AND THE PREFERENCE FOR ABSTRACT ART
GREGORY J. FEIST and TARA R. BRADY, 2004, 22:1, 77-89.
Abstract: Recent evolutionary theory has argued that what people find "beautiful" is not arbitrary, but rather has evolved over millions of years of hominid sensory, perceptual, and cognitive evolution. Sensations that have adaptive value (i.e., that enhance safety, survival, and reproduction) often become aesthetically preferred. One purpose of the current study was to present a personality and social attitude template for persons who prefer a relatively recent and generally unappreciated form of art, namely abstract art. One hundred and four college participants (68 female) completed personality (openness and experience seeking) and social attitude questionnaires and recorded their preference for 15 realistic, 15 ambiguous, and 15 abstract works of art. Results showed that open participants preferred every form of art presented, but that this difference increased as the art became more abstract. In addition, those with attitudes more tolerant of political liberalism and drug use preferred abstract art the most.

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CLASS-RELATED DISTINCTIONS IN AMERICAN CULTURAL TASTES
MORRIS B. HOLBROOK, MICHAEL J. WEISS, JOHN HABICH, 2004, 22:1, 91-115.
Abstract: Previous studies by Bourdieu and others have shown a tendency for cultural tastes to serve as status markers that distinguish members of social classes differing in economic capital (money, income, wealth) and cultural capital (family background, education, training). However, questions remain concerning the extent to which such findings--especially those obtained over 20 years ago in France--can be meaningfully generalized to the contemporary United States. The present study explores this issue using a large-scale database that covers a broad range of cultural activities pursued by a comprehensive sample of American geodemographic clusters. The results support the Bourdieusian view by showing clear contrasts in differential cultural preferences among groups varying in income, education, and various demographic characteristics.

Buy the whole article at baywood.com - online shop now. To let you know: As member of the IAEA you receive the Empirical Studies of the Arts twice a year *for free* and are able to purchase all back issues since 1983 at discounted rates. See more benefits!
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