Symmetry is forever M Bertamini1, R Ogden2, G Rampone3, A Makin3 |
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1University of Liverpool, United Kingdom |
| Pleasant and unpleasant events, as well as arousal, may influence the experience of duration. We investigated how preference for abstract visual patterns is related to their physical and perceived duration. Physical duration varied between 0.5s and 1.5s. Visual stimuli were squares containing black and white elements, and belonged to one of two classes: random and symmetrical. Each stimulus was only presented once. We manipulated perceived duration using a click train (5Hz) and compared it to white noise and to silence (Penton-Voak et al., 1996). In different sessions, participants (N=24) rated duration and preference. Clicks did increase perceive duration, and symmetry was preferred to random, as expected. Within each of the three sound conditions, symmetry was perceived as lasting longer than random. In addition, within random stimuli preference was negatively correlated to perceived duration. Within symmetric stimuli, preference was positively correlated to perceived duration. In terms of physical duration, preference for random patterns decreased with duration and preference for symmetric patterns increased with duration. We have found, therefore, a case in which beautiful stimuli appear to last longer than less beautiful stimuli, and the longer they last the more they are preferred. |
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