Automaticity and the Processing of Artistic Photographs

Abstract

Participants viewed black and white artistic photographs. They used a visual scale to indicate their preferences for the photographs while performing a concurrent digit preload memory recall task. They also rated the photographs using 27 semantic differential items in order to assess the attributes used to form their impressions of the photographs. The results showed that digit recall and preference ratings changed little when digit load increased, providing evidence that an automatic mode of cognitive processing was likely used when making preference judgments. The results from the rating task showed that participants preferred photographs that were pleasant, clear, interesting, and easy to process and understand. The results provide important evidence for the existence of dual mechanism processes in aesthetic appreciation.