The Relationship Between Information Stimuli and Aesthetic Judgement in non Experts

 
The introduction discusses art as an important pillar of human culture and civilization that has always attracted the attention of thinkers and researchers. However, despite its enduring presence throughout history, art has not always been easy for the general public to understand and appreciate. Previous studies have shown that various psychological factors like personality traits, education level, prior exposure to artworks, and aesthetic literacy impact how people understand and enjoy art. For instance, individuals who are more open to experiences tend to have a greater interest and inclination appreciating complex and unconventional artworks compared to conservative individuals. Likewise, those with more art-related education, training, and experiences are generally better able to understand and enjoy complex, modern artworks. However, reviews show limited research on how informational cues and contexts surrounding art influence the aesthetic judgments of ordinary people lacking art education and experiences. Hence, a key challenge is introducing such modern artworks to the general public to enable understanding and analysis. This study aims to address how informational stimuli and contexts can influence the perspective, preferences, and aesthetic judgments regarding art among individuals without formal art education or experiences. Rather than focusing on pre-existing knowledge and experiences, it examines the role of providing art information to non-experts in shaping attitudes and perceptions in a short-term interaction. This allows assessing potential attitudinal changes without long-term assumptions.
To examine the impact of informational stimuli on aesthetic judgments of individuals without art education, the present online study utilized two questionnaires comprising demographics, a 10-item Personality Inventory, Aesthetic Fluency scale, and a researcher-made questionnaire with 5 pairs of different artworks for preference rating: a traditional Iranian mosque and a modern Iranian mosque; a medieval crucifixion painting and Gauguin’s The Yellow Christ; Persian miniature painting Khosrow and Shirin from Shiraz school and Sadegh Tabrizi’s illustration of Khosrow and Shirin; a Nastaliq calligraphy practice and Hossein Zenderoudi’s calligraphic painting; a landscape painting by John Constable and a landscape by Paul Signac. Participants were randomly assigned to Questionnaire 1 or 2. The system prevented entry to the main questionnaire if participants reported any experience, education, or occupations related to art. The only difference between the two questionnaires was an initial text about the nature of artworks in Questionnaire 2 (with informational stimulus) that participants had to read and answer questions about before selecting artworks: “Artworks arise in different ways across times. They attempt to elevate our awareness and provoke thought. They try to showcase artists' perspectives and ideas about reality and life. Many contain implicit symbolic meanings that require reflection to grasp the artist’s viewpoint. Viewing art is an experience for contemplating oneself and life.” Requiring responses to 5 questions ensured close reading. 320 participants completed Questionnaire 1 (without stimulus) and 306 completed Questionnaire 2 (with stimulus). None had art-related jobs or education. The no-stimulus group comprised 320 participants including 180 females (56.2%) and 140 males (43.8%) with a mean age of 23.37 years (SD = 4.54). Their education levels were 25 high school graduates, 177 undergraduates, and 118 postgraduates. The information stimulus group comprised 304 participants including 192 females (63.1%) and 112 males (36.9%) with a mean age of 35.4 years (SD = 15.5). Their education levels were 33 high school graduates, 142 undergraduates, and 129 postgraduates. The results indicated no significant difference in overall Aesthetic Fluency scores between the no-stimulus group (mean = 51.3, SD = 53.0) and the information stimulus group (mean = 42.3, SD = 67.0; p-value > 0.05, t = 1.086). Hence, the groups were not distinguishable regarding their aesthetic knowledge. Pearson correlation analysis investigated associations between Personality dimensions, Aesthetic Fluency, and preference ratings for modern versus classical artworks. Openness to experience showed direct, significant correlations with overall Aesthetic Fluency (r = 0.22, p-value < 0.01), original Aesthetic Fluency (r = 0.17, p-value < 0.01), Aesthetic Fluency of Iran (r = 0.17, p-value < 0.01), overall art preference ratings (r = 0.28, p-value < 0.01), ratings for realistic/classical artworks (r = 0.22, p-value < 0.01) and abstract/modern artworks (r = 0.19, p-value < 0.01). Aesthetic Fluency also correlated with higher art preference ratings (r = 0.26, p-value < 0.01). However, these variables did not effectively distinguish individual preferences. Openness remained the most prominent factor associated with artistic inclination, while greater Aesthetic Fluency related to higher art preference ratings irrespective of style or genre. Independent samples t-tests examined stimulus effects on preference ratings per the study hypothesis. After checking normality assumptions, a significant difference emerged between the no-stimulus group (mean = 46.3, SD = 37.0) and information stimulus group (mean = 74.3, SD = 33.0; p-value < 0.05, t = 15.10) indicating an increased preference for abstract and modern over classical/realistic artworks in the stimulus group. In other words, in assessing aesthetic reactions among groups with and without informational prompts, the results show that individuals naturally have different interests and inclinations toward various art forms based on their personality traits such as openness to new experiences. However, when some individuals were provided with information and perspectives on how to approach and understand art, these individuals demonstrated better reactions and greater acceptance of unconventional and avant-garde artworks. That is the information presented temporarily changed their preferences and choices. Rudimentary awareness of these facets associated with art criticism and history discourse expanded the conception of what constitutes art to encompass modernism’s radical break from familiar mimetic aesthetics. Without such framing, participants generally showed avoidance toward unfamiliar compositions. Access depended on acquiring schemata recognizing how all art essentially represents creative efforts to convey subjectivity regarding conditions of lived experience, through manifest content and symbolic expression transcending literal appearances. This realization allowed perceiving richness within ostensibly opaque imagery by considering what reactions or contemplations it might intend to stimulate regardless of clear pictorial resemblance. That elementary catalytic learning temporarily redirected preferences away from customary favorites and lowered inhibition toward the abstract. The informational content facilitated detecting meaning in superficially confusing but still evocative formations reflecting artists grappling with escalating modernity complexities. Audiences otherwise automatically discount such works due to their ambiguity and lack of concrete visual affirmation of skill seen in traditional techniques. They construe abstraction as technical ineptitude rather than thematic eloquence communicating via entirely reinvented visual languages detaching from optical verisimilitude. Exposure to the historical background on key avant-garde stylistic innovations and their creative rationales rendered these productions more welcoming. These findings demonstrated mass art appreciation hinges considerably on foreground knowledge granting cognitive access more than solely intuitive sensory reactions. The research can help identify factors influencing the formation and alteration of artistic tastes and preferences, as well as the role of contextual information cues therein. The findings can also inform the design of more effective educational and cultural programs for promoting public appreciation of modern art.
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