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The evaluation of angular vs. curved forms has a long history in psychology but few of the many studies conducted have examined actual degree of angularity. In two experiments, we present observers with randomly positioned and randomly oriented texture displays of angles viewed within a circular frame. The angle conditions varied from 0° to 180° in 20° increments, covering the entire spectrum of possibilities including acute, obtuse, right, and straight line angles. In Experiment 1, 25 undergraduates rated the perceived beauty of these displays. In Experiment 2, the same stimulus set and procedure were used with 27 participants instead judging perceived threat. Based on the findings in the literature, we predicted that sharper angles would be judged less beautiful and more threatening. The results were mostly confirmed. Acute angles are preferred less but there are also distinct preferences for right angles and straight lines, perhaps due to their greater familiarity in constructed environments. There was a consistent and anticipated finding for threat in the second study: the sharper an angle, the greater its perceived threat. Fear of sharp objects as assessed in a personality questionnaire was found to positively correlate with threat judgements. Future work should look more closely at degree of angularity in embedded object contours and at individual response differences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated number estimation using dot patterns grouped by proximity into larger clusters. Participants estimated the number of dots and clusters in separate trials. Estimation was most accurate when the numbers of elements on both scales were the same. When the number of elements on the unattended scale was higher, overestimation occurred. Conversely, when the number of elements on the unattended scale was lower, underestimation occurred. In Experiment 2, response cues were blocked to reduce any tendency toward attending the irrelevant level. The results were essentially unchanged, indicating response confusion alone cannot account for the effect. The data support the existence of an opposite scale effect in which the number of elements at the unattended level influence the processing of number. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]