Can you fix it? Effects of visual processing capacity on Visual aesthetic response

Abstract

We examine the impact of visual processing capacity on aesthetic response. Several “holistic” properties of visual stimuli (e.g. symmetry, unity, simplicity, prototypicality), are assumed to be important in aesthetic response. Our results show that violations of these properties do result in a less positive aesthetic response when ability/opportunity to visualize is low. When capacity to visualize is however not constrained either because the person’s inherent ability to visualize is sufficiently high, or because the person has the time to fully process the stimulus, then violations do not affect aesthetic response. Finally, we identify the mechanism through which these effects work.