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Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a dramatic increase in Web-based education, lacking face-to-face student–teacher and student–student interaction, and consequently impairing students’ sense of belonging to a community, interoceptive awareness, and academic self-efficacy. This study examined how a brief mindfulness-based intervention in an online university course can be effective in enhancing attention resources, developing a stronger sense of academic self-efficacy, and improving the sense of belonging to a community, which represent critical factors affecting students’ participation in online and blended courses. Method Four-hundred and eighty-six participants (Mage 22.88) completed a battery of measures at pre- and post-treatment. One class (experimental group) participated in a brief online mindfulness-based intervention (42%), whereas the other one (control group) did not take part in the intervention (58%). The intervention included breathing meditation at the beginning of class, sharing of experiences, mini-lectures on mindfulness, and daily practice, and lasted for 28 consecutive days. Results Participants in the experimental group when compared to controls showed a significant increase in the feeling of influencing the course activities (F = 9.628; p 0.005), in the self-regulation of attention (F = 19.133; p 0.001), in academic self-efficacy (F = 9.220; p 0.005), and, particularly, in their self-efficacy in regulating learning (F = 12.942; p 0.001). The students’ adherence to the assigned practice could partially explain the effectiveness of the intervention. Conclusions This study offers useful clues about the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions in the classroom in enhancing sense of belonging to a community, attention grounded in bodily sensations, and academic self-efficacy. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.

Several artists, neuroscientists, and art psychologists have investigated the existence of a relationship between perceived motion and beauty in figurative and abstract paintings. In our study, we created stimulus pictures by combining the same matrices, consisting of modular stochastic polygons, to obtain regular (translational symmetry) and irregular (non-symmetry) combinations. Some of these combinations consisted of many small matrices, making it difficult to read the ‘shapes’ of stochastic polygons. Our sample consisted of both art experts and non-art experts. We hypothesised that irregular combinations, with fewer and greater numbers of the same matrices, would have stimulated more perception of motion, complexity and beauty than regular compositions. Results showed that stochastic irregular combinations are generally dynamic, more complex, and more aesthetically pleasing than stochastic regular compositions. Perhaps the greater dynamism of irregular combinations influences beauty evaluation for compositions with stochastic matrices. Research has shown that specific artistic competence influences the assessment of irregular or asymmetrical stimuli as beautiful. Our study, on the other hand, shows that irregular stochastic combinations are more beautiful for both art experts and non-experts.

Understanding how psychological processes drive human energy choices is an urgent, and yet relatively under-investigated, need for contemporary society. A knowledge gap still persists on the links between psychological factors identified in earlier studies and people's behaviors in the energy domain. This research applies a meta-analytical procedure to assess the strength of the associations between five different classes of individual variables (i.e.,: attitudes, intentions, values, awareness, and emotions) and energy-saving behavioral intentions and behaviors (self-reported and actual). Based on a systematic review of studies published between 2007 and 2017, we estimate the average effect size of predictor-criterion relations, and we assess relevant moderators and publication bias, drawing on data obtained from 102 independent samples reported in 67 published studies (N= 59.948). Results from a series of five single meta-analyses reveal a pattern of significant positive associations between the selected psychological determinants and energy-saving indicators: associations between individual-level predictors and energy-saving outcomes are positive and moderate in size, ranging from large effects for emotions to small-moderate effects for pro-environmental values. Interestingly, moderation analysis reveals, among other things, that attitude-behavior links are not statistically significant when actual behavior is considered as an outcome. Implications for policy interventions are discussed.

As Winner (1982) argued, we “read” a lot in to pictures, aptly via metaphor—which applies to unreal stretch in flying-gallop—but inaccurately with perspective—we underestimate compression of the azimuth.

Attitudes toward artwork are influenced by many individual and societal factors. One factor that has not been investigated is whether the viewer considers the artist to be an ingroup or an outgroup member. Drawing on 2 social psychological theories-social identity theory and uncertainty-identity theory-we proposed that people can show ingroup bias in evaluating artwork, and that this is more likely when the viewer lacks art-related expertise and experience. We conducted a 3-factor mixed between- and within-participants experiment (N ± 335). American and Italian participants evaluated 2 pieces of abstract art and two pieces of representational art that were attributed to fictional American or Italian artists. The key prediction, that participants would evaluate pieces of art, specifically abstract art, more favorably if the artist was a conational than a national outgroup member, was supported, but only among American participants (the Americans had less art-related experience and were more aesthetically uncertain than the Italians). Americans liked American art more than Italian art, American art was liked more by Americans than Italians, and the preference for representational over abstract art disappeared among Americans evaluating American art. Some limitations of the study and future directions for research are discussed.

Motion can be perceived in static images, such as photos and figurative paintings, representing realistic subjects in motion, with or without directional information (e.g., motion blur or speed lines). Motion impression can be achieved even in non-realistic static images such as motion illusions and abstract paintings. It has been shown that visual motion processing affects the diameter of the pupil, responding differently to real, illusory, and implied motion in photographs (IM). It has been suggested that these different effects might be due to top-down modulations from different cortical areas underlying their processing. It is worthwhile to investigate pupillary response to figurative paintings, since they require an even higher level of interpretation than photos representing the same kind of subjects, given the complexity of cognitive processes involved in the aesthetic experience. Also, pupil responses to abstract paintings allows to study the effect of IM perception in representations devoid of real-life motion cues. We measured pupil responses to IM in figurative and abstract artworks depicting static and dynamic scenes, as rated by a large group of individuals not participating in the following experiment. Since the pupillary response is modulated by the subjective image interpretation, a motion rating test has been used to correct individual pupil data according to whether participants actually perceived the presence of motion in the paintings. Pupil responses to movies showing figurative and abstract subjects, and to motion illusions were also measured, to compare real and illusory motion with painted IM. Movies, both figurative and abstract, elicit the largest pupillary dilation of all static stimuli, whereas motion illusions cause the smallest pupil size, as previously shown. Interestingly, pupil responses to IM depend on the paintings’ style. Figurative paintings depicting moving subjects cause more dilation than those representing static figures, and pupil size increases with the strength of IM, as already found with realistic photos. The opposite effect is obtained with abstract artworks. Abstract paintings depicting motion produce less dilation than those depicting stillness. In any case, these results reflect the individual subjective perception of dynamism, as the very same paintings can induce opposite responses in observer which interpreted it as static or dynamic. Overall, our data show that pupil size depends on high-level interpretation of motion in paintings, even when they do not represent real-world scenes. Our findings further suggest that the pupil is modulated by multiple top-down cortical mechanisms, involving the processing of motion, attention, memory, imagination, and other cognitive functions necessary for enjoying a complete aesthetic experience.

The aim of this contribution is to address a line of research, conducted in the last ten years, on visitor’s approaches to different art styles museums (ancient vs. modern), and the educational aspects regarding the young adult’s museum visits experience.

Background:Aesthetic judgment is biased by context and emotional content(1). We investigated the relationship between the internal features of aesthetic experiences (e.g., attention, emotion, understanding) and the aesthetic judgment. Method:23 art-naives participants performed an affective misattribution task (2). They judged pleasantness of a neutral stimulus preceded by artistic and non-artistic pictures. Pictures were manipulated according to their emotional content (positive, negative, neutral). Participants were administered with the Aesthetic Experience Questionnaire (AEQ)(3).T1-3D images were acquired for ten participants through a 3T-MRI scanner. Results:Positive pictures liked more, irrespective of artistic context. Positive bias towards negative artistic pictures was associated with the attentional dimension of the aesthetic experience. Imaging analysis revealed negative correlation between surface gyrification and empathetic dimension of AEQ in the right middle temporal gyrus, SMA and paracentral lobule. Discussion:Enjoying sadness in visual art depends on the attentional dimension of the aesthetic experience. Moreover, the aesthetic experience seemed to be mediated by the cortical complexity: a less complexity of attentional areas was related to an empathic approach of the artwork.

Not only cognitive and affective processes determine an aesthetic experience; another important issue to consider has to do with the social context while experiencing the arts. Several studies have shown that the aesthetic impact of a work of art depends on, to an important extent, the different socio-demographic factors including age, class, social status, health, wealth, and so on. The concepts of cultural and social capital by Pierre Bourdieu and the production and consumption of artworks by Howard Becker are discussed. Another important aspect of the impact of the social context on aesthetic experience deals with early art experience in childhood within the family—considered as the first social group to which a person belongs.

In two experiments, we tested pictures of horse gaits—alt (standing), walk, trot, gallop, and a fake gallop, a pose shown in a well-known Gericault painting. The pose was portrayed frequently in the nineteenth century, its features hotly debated. Fake gallop has legs extended fore and rear, close to parallel to the ground. Experiment 1 sampled real artworks depicting horses and Experiment 2 used silhouettes of horses. In both, reports of amount of movement increased from alt to fake gallop. In Experiment 1 similar results were obtained from novices and equestrians (‘experts’ familiar with horses). The extreme leg extension in fake gallop may suggest high speed, as Arnheim suggested. However, true gallop includes legs curled close together under the body—a ‘running pony’ pose—so both extremes of extension may suggest high speed. In Experiment 2, novices judged fake gallop unrealistic despite giving high movement scores. We suggest its depiction may be metaphoric, meaning a deliberately false item has relevant features of a referent. For the artworks, the amount of movement reported correlated positively but quite modestly with aesthetic appreciation, but for the silhouettes, the correlation was reversed. We suggest expression can be positive for many horse poses.

Background: The research aimed to assess, through physiological measurements such as blood pressure and heart rate, whether exposure to art museums and to different art styles (figurative vs. modern art) was able to enhance visitors’ well-being in terms of relaxing and stress reduction. Method: Participants (nÂ=Â77) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions, on the basis of the typology of the art style they were exposed to in the museum visit: (1) figurative art, (2) modern art and (3) museum office (as a control condition). Blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after the visits. Results: Diastolic values of the participants were quite stable, as expected in people who do not suffer hypertension; we therefore considered only variations in systolic blood pressure. The majority of the participants exposed to figurative art significantly decreased systolic blood pressure compared to those exposed to modern art and museum office. No differences were found in the heart rate before and after the visit for the three groups. Conclusion: Findings suggest that museum visits can have health benefits, and figurative art may decrease systolic blood pressure.

The methods of paired comparison and ranking play an important role in the analysis of preference data. In this study, first we show how asymmetric multidimensional scaling allows to represent in a diagram the preference order that comes out in a paired-comparison task concerning architectural facades. A ranking task involving the same stimuli and the same subject sample further enriched the preference analysis, because multidimensional unfolding applied to the ranking data matrix allows to detect the relationships between subjects and architectural facades. The results show that high curved facade is the most preferred, followed by the medium curved, angular and rectilinear ones. Rectilinear stimuli were always the least preferred and not angularity as expected.

The goal of the research was to determine whether artworks said to be created by famous artists were appreciated more than the same artworks attributed to nonfamous artists. Analysis indicated that the works attributed to famous artists were more appreciated than the identical works attributed to nonfamous artists: The works were liked more and judged more interesting and beautiful (all p values

Can curvature drive preference, perceived familiarity, complexity, stability and approachability for architectural façades? In this study, we generated four versions of the same reference building, varying only the amount of curvature introduced in the façade. Participants’ judgments were measured using three experimental methodologies. Multidimensional scaling on forced choices showed that the curved façade was the most preferred. Multidimensional unfolding on ranking task showed that the majority of participants expressed higher preferences for the curved façade compared to the sharp-angled and rectilinear ones. Ratings on different psychological variables provided supporting evidence for curvature significantly influencing liking and approachability judgments. Results from image analyses –using a dynamical model of the visual cortex and a model that characterizes discomfort in terms of adherence to the statistics of natural images – matched behavioural data. We discuss the implications of the findings on our understanding of human preferences, which are intrinsically dynamic and influenced by context and experience. Postprint

In this paper, we provide an overview of research highlighting the relation between cultural processes, social norms, and food choices, discussing the implication of these findings for the promotion of more sustainable lifestyles. Our aim is to outline how environmental psychological research on urban affordances, through the specific concepts of restorative environments and walkability, could complement these findings to better understand human health, wellbeing and quality of life. We highlight how social norms and cultural processes are linked to food choices, and we discuss the possible health-related outcomes of cultural differences in food practices as well as their relation to acculturation and globalization processes. We also discuss the concepts of restorative environments and walkability as positive urban affordances, their relation to human wellbeing, and the possible link with cultural processes and sustainable lifestyles. Finally, we outline issues for future research and areas for policy-making and interventions on the links between cultural processes, healthy and sustainable food consumption and urban affordances, for the pursuit of public health, wellbeing and environmental sustainability.

Historically, psychology has outlined three different approaches to the study of the arts, and in the last twenty years, a quarter has been added. These four approaches refer to: 1. The artist and his personality with the contribution of Sigmund Freud and the psychoanalysis of the art; 2. The artwork from a perceptual point of view with the role of Rudolf Arnheim and the psychology of the Gestalt; 3; The experimental aesthetics and the measurement of preference with Gustav Fechner and Daniel Berlyne; 4. The neuroaesthetics and the relationship between the aesthetic perception and the brain, starting from Semir Zeki. Furthermore, three empirical studies referring to the aesthetic experience in museum contexts are reported. The first show that emotional aspects related to the visit were relevant for modern art museum visitors, while a more cognitive approach based on learning characterized ancient art museum visitors. The second study concerned personality traits: people who attend modern art museums seem to be higher in the sensation seeking personality trait compared to people who visit ancient art museums. In addition, the emotions aroused by visitors to the museum of modern art reached higher scores compared to visitors of the museum of ancient art. The last study showed, through physiological measurements such as blood pressure and heart rate, that exposure to art museum and precisely of figurative art was able to enhance visitors’ well-being in terms of the decreasing of blood pressure. The final aim is to show that psychology, from both a theoretical and an experimental perspective, can give a significant contribution to the increasingly understanding of the arts.

Flashbulb memories(FBMs) are defined as detailed memories for the reception context in which people first heard of a public and emotionally relevant event. For many years researchers have been debating whether FBMs can be considered a special class of emotional memories, or whether they suffer the same fate as ordinary autobiographical formations. The debate on the real existence of this special class of memories reflects the difficulty of establishing their accuracy. Three indices have been defined as proxies for FBM accuracy: specificity of recalled details, individuals' confidence in their memory, and memory consistency over time. However, all approaches to FBM assessment have been based on explicit self-report measures. In two studies we aimed to detect FBMs for two emotional public events, by simultaneously employing explicit traditional FBM measures and implicit measures based on the autobiographical Implicit Association Test (aIAT). Jointly considered, the results from the two studies showed that the implicit measures were able to discriminate a FBM, and appeared significantly associated with explicit traditional measures of FBM Specificity, Confidence, and Consistency. Both explicit and implicit assessments concurred to correctly estimate a FBM. Implications for the FBM debate are discussed. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Very often the titles of Futurist paintings contain words denoting movement in order to satisfy their artistic poetic focused on motion and velocity. The aim of the present study is to investigate the reported dynamism and aesthetic quality of several Futurist artworks as a function of their title. Ten Futurist artworks with a movement-related word in the title were selected for this study. The titles were manipulated, resulting in four conditions for each painting: the “original title” with the movement word; an “increased” title in which an adjective was added in order to intensify the sense of dynamism; a “decreased” title, in which the movement word was eliminated; no title. Participants evaluated the movement suggested by each painting in the four different title conditions, rated their beauty and reported how much they liked the work. Results showed that the manipulation of the title had an effect on the reported movement: compared to the others, paintings presented with the “original” and with the “increased” title received significant higher movement scores. Of interest, beauty did not differ across conditions, but liking was higher for the conditions with more movement. Lastly, positive correlations between the quantity of perceived movement and aesthetic evaluation were found. From the present results it can be concluded that Futurists attributed much relevance to the titles of their artworks in order to effectively increase the expression of the movement represented.

Questa ricerca ha due scopi principali. Il primo è quello di replicare ed eventualmente estendere i risultati ottenuti in uno studio precedente, in cui gli autori hanno trovato che i visitatori di musei di arte antica conducevano la visita con l'obiettivo primario di acquisire comprensione e conoscenza, mentre i visitatori dei musei d'arte moderna assumevano un approccio che era soprattutto emotivo e di ricerca del piacere. Il secondo obiettivo si riferisce a studi che dimostrano che le persone che preferiscono l'arte astratta presentano alti livelli di tratti della personalità nelle dimensioni "Apertura all'esperienza" e "Sensation Seeking", rispetto a chi preferisce l'arte figurativa. Questo studio indaga questi due tratti di personalità per persone che preferiscono visitare i musei di arte antica rispetto a quelli di arte moderna. I dati emersi hanno confermato i risultati precedenti: gli aspetti emozionali legati alla visita erano rilevanti per i visitatori del museo d'arte moderna, mentre un approccio più cognitivo basato sull'apprendimento caratterizzava i visitatori di arte antica. Per quanto riguarda i tratti della personalità, non si è riscontrata nessuna differenza tra i due gruppi per quanto riguarda la dimensione "apertura all'esperienza"; sono state rilevate invece delle differenze sulla dimensione "Sensation Seeking"; i visitatori dei musei d'arte moderna hanno raggiunto punteggi più elevati rispetto ai visitatori del museo d'arte antica. This research has two main purposes. The first is to replicate and possibly to extend the results obtained in a previous study, where the authors found that visitors to the ancient art museum conducted their visit with the primary aim of acquiring understanding and knowledge, while modern art museum visitors conducted their visit with an approach that was primarily emotional and pleasure-seeking. The second purpose relates to studies showing that people who prefer abstract art present higher levels on personality traits like “Openness to Experience” and “Sensation Seeking,” compared to people who prefer realistic art. This study investigates these two personality traits for people who favor visiting museums of ancient rather than modern art. Results confirmed previous findings that emotional aspects related to the visit were relevant for modern art museum visitors, while a more cognitive approach based on learning characterized ancient art museum visitors. Concerning personality traits, no difference was found between the two museum groups on the “Openness to Experience” dimension; differences were found on the “Sensation Seeking” trait; modern art museum visitors attained higher scores as compared to ancient art museum visitors.

Lo scopo della presente ricerca è stato quello di esplorare le possibili differenze tra le esperienze dei visitatori in due differenti tipi di musei d'arte: il Museo Borghese di Roma (arte antica) e la Collezione Peggy Guggenheim di Venezia (arte moderna/contemporanea). Sono stati somministrati due questionari a 500 partecipanti italiani prima e dopo la visita ai musei. Le domande del questionario avevano lo scopo di valutare quanto fosse piaciuta la visita e quanto fossero soddisfatti del museo visitato; le motivazioni e le aspettative che guidano le persone a visitare musei di arte antica vs. moderna/contemporanea. I risultati mostrano che le persone che visitano il Guggenheim hanno uno status socio-economico più elevato (in termini di istruzione e professione) e visitano un maggior numero di musei rispetto alle persone che frequentano il Museo Borghese. Inoltre, il livello di istruzione è correlato positivamente con il piacere della visita. La conduzione della visita da parte del visitatore del Borghese è guidata dall'intento di capire e conoscere (approccio cognitivo), mentre quella del visitatore del Guggenheim è caratterizzata da un approccio di tipo più emozionale. The aim of the present research was to explore possible differences between visitor experiences in two different kinds of art museums according to the art styles of the collections hosted: the Museum Borghese of Rome (ancient art) and thè Peggy Guggenheim Collection of Venice (contemporary art). Two questionnaires were administered to 500 Italian participants before and after their visit to one of the museums. Questions (Likert scales and multiple choice) assessed how much visitors liked and were satisfied with the museum and their visit, and the motivations, expectations and preference that drive people to visit museums of ancient versus contemporary art. Results show that people who visit the Guggenheim Museum have higher socio-economie status (education and profession) and visit museums more frequently than those who attend the Borghese Museum. Additionally, educational level relates to the enjoyment of the visit and to the nature of the aesthetic experience; visit conduction by Borghese visitors was driven by the intent of understanding and knowing, while those who attended the Guggenheim took an emotional approach to their experience.

Perception of 2-D ellipses on a picture surface is inaccurate-if the ellipses depict circles that are tilted in 3-D, receding from the viewer (Hammad, Kennedy, Juricevic, & Rajani, 2008a, Perception, 37, 504-510). Notably, the minor axis of the ellipse is seen as larger than is true. This illusory effect could be due to the simultaneous presence of optical information for the 2-D ellipse and optical information for the 3-D tilted circle. The optical information for the circle may bias vision's use of the optical information for the ellipse. This theory predicts that illusory effects should occur on the major axis as well as the minor axis; but, we argue, the major axis effect should be smaller than the minor axis effect. We confirm the prediction. Observers looked at target ellipses depicting tops of tilted cylinders. In one experiment observers chose a match for the target from choice sets of seven 2-D ellipses. In the second, observers used the method of adjustment. Both axes were overestimated, the minor axis more than the major, as the theory suggested. We point out that the relative size of the effects matters to the theory, and so the small effect counts for a lot. © 2014 a Pion publication.

Can a preference for design objects also be achieved automatically? The aim of this study is to examine whether different levels of expertise in industrial design (laypeople versus design experts) can orient the preference towards different styles of design objects (classic chairs versus modern chairs), at both implicit and explicit levels. Implicit and explicit preferences are often mediated by assessor features. The Implicit Association Test (IAT) was used to measure the automaticity of the evaluation. The participants (44 laypeople and 40 experts) performed a categorization task with reference to pictures (five classic and five modern chairs) and words (five positive and five negative aesthetic words). Reaction times were registered. The explicit evaluation of the stimuli was assessed using a seven-point Likert scale referring to the adjectives beautiful, typical, familiar, understandable, complex and interesting in order to appraise overall preferences for both classic and modern design objects. In both measurements, implicit and explicit preferences for classic and modern objects were moderated by expertise: experts were aesthetically more oriented towards modern objects while laypeople did not show a specific preference for one style. This study is one of the first attempts to demonstrate the differences in aesthetic preferences between experts and non-experts at an implicit level.

The aesthetic experience may be defined as a general process associated with an individual’s cognitive and affective response to an object belonging to a particular class of artifacts called art. Aesthetic experiences can take place while we observe works of art in museums, galleries, churches or other contexts. Most psychological perspectives on the aesthetic experience argue that it is the outcome of the coordinated action of different mental processes such as perception, attention, memory, imagination, thought and emotion (Cupchik, 1993; Locher et al., 2007). This is certainly true, but this idea is not the exclusive property of the aesthetic experience; this flow of psychic functions is also present when we look at simple objects in our world. According to cognitive psychology, the act of seeing is not merely a passive record of the external physical environment; it also involves active processing and analysis. The sensory input coming from the external environment undergoes a series of modifications before an object can be perceived: the input is transformed, reduced, processed, stored, retrieved and then used (Neisser, 1967). So even the simple task of distinguishing an object, such as a pen, from among several others objects haphazardly set on a desk, occurs through a comparison with the stored image that we came to know as a pen.