Can ambiguity be appreciated? Testing hypotheses on experiences in aesthetic episodes.

Psychology of the arts is particularly fascinating because art, although very diverse in appearance, is found in all known human cultures. Art triggers complex episodes of cognitive and emotional levels of processing (Leder, Belke, Oeberst & Augustin, 2004). In the project we explore what make art exciting and appreciable in that we study the sequences of events during an aesthetic episode and analyze, how their interplay determines aesthetic pleasure. Thus, we propose a method that allows studying the combination of events during art processing with experimental rigor. The project is a necessary to further develop a psychology of the arts (Leder et al., 2004). The analyzes of aesthetic episodes is based on our new paradigm (Jakesch & Leder, 2009) in which studied the role of ambiguity in art appreciation through different conditions of matching/non-matching accompanying statements with abstract art; we found that a medium level (matching and non-matching statements) was most appreciated, but that a lack of ambiguity in art was not most preferred. We know from evolutionary psychology (e.g. Williams, 1996) that the perceptual cognitive system is adapted to and shaped by nature, not art, thus in order to efficiently uncover valid information about our environment ambiguities need to be resolved. However, this is not the case in art. (Leder, et al., 2004; Jakesch & Leder, 2009; Skov, 2009). Based on our recent findings regarding ambiguity, we test the hypotheses that aesthetic pleasantness results from a sequence of events, which are combined in such a way that ambiguities receives a special, presumably positive weight. In consequence, we study how the sequence of events produce predictable changes in emotional quality, in experienced cognitive mastering and experienced competence (through dealing with challenging stats), and that enjoyment of ambiguity is particularly strong for e.g. people with little need for cognitive closure. Moreover, measures of eye-movements will test the hypothesis that the challenge of non-matching information comes along with differences in encoding, seen for example in more saccades and longer fixations. Through the combination of neurophysiological and behavioural methods we examine how aesthetic episodes depend on variations of the constituting events in time. Examining such complex interactions of cognitive and emotional events allows for the testing of existing information processing models (e.g. Leder et al., 2004) and provides new information about aesthetic experiences, but also a more general understanding of the evaluations of complex human experiences. In this respect the study of aesthetics is a role model for studying other situations in which emotion and cognition similarly interact. Hence, our project opens up a new perspective on art appreciation in an ecologically valid way.

Being able to enjoy art is a uniquely human ability; it is universal and subject to various different explanations. Psychological aesthetics has stressed the often-found ambiguity of artworks as one of the core elements that make art so interesting and fascinating. In order to better understand the nature of human art experience, we conducted a variety of studies concerning experiences in aesthetic episodes, and thereby were able to test a number of hypotheses about why and when we like ambiguity in an art context. We often used artworks of the Belgian artist Magritte, usually depicting objects in unexpected locations, or in surreal, unnatural sizes and manifestations. Using picture-manipulation, we removed the irregularities from these artworks (as were purposefully inserted in the design by the artist) and placed the objects instead in their usual, expected locations. By doing this we were systematically able to show that the original ambiguous artworks are not perceptually grasped as quickly. However, they also appear as more interesting and, after a short period of viewing, are liked more. Using these same images and recording electrical activity from facial muscles involved in smiling, we also found that the surreal, ambiguous versions lead to more positive emotions. We also confirmed that ambiguity lets the artworks appear more complex and multifaceted, which might explain why ambiguous artworks appear as more interesting than their clear-cut, unambiguous counterparts. Again, in other studies, we used artworks of the British artist Pepperell, who paints in a baroque yet blurry style, resulting in an impression as if one could make out bodies and figures in the cloudy images. We compared these artworks with very similar Baroque-pictures, which did clearly display bodies. We were able to show that for the ambiguous, abstract pictures people would look at those parts that were most remarkably different in color, contrast and brightness. Baroque paintings, however, attract looks to parts that were relevant for the painting, such as arms, heads, and similar contours. In a number of studies we showed: that movements corresponding to the displayed art style enhance the liking of that particular style; how Alzheimer patients show stability in aesthetic preferences; and how perceivers distinguish art from non-art. In a physiological study we found that artworks with negative, repulsive content an element of style used in some contemporary art - elicit negative reactions even for art experts, who, however, still like the art more than lay people. Moreover, using a large amount of portraits, we were able to show in accordance with our psychological theories on art experience and art enjoyment that art liking is determined by an interplay of emotions, cognitions (how does the displayed person appear?), and also the liking of the style employed by the artist. Our participants were able to assess the contribution of art-style relatively accurately. Based on our gained insights we were able to validate and significantly advance our theories on many levels. This includes finding out how art enjoyment is driven by an interplay of style recognition, understanding of the artwork, the way the artwork elicits emotions, and that this is moderated by previous knowledge and expertise. This project thus allowed us to generate numerous new insights in a fascinating research topic the human proclivity to deal with and enjoy art.