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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 16, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

Aesthetic preference for spatial composition in multiobject pictures.

Mieke H R Leyssen¹, Sarah Linsen, Jonathan Sammartino

¹University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Tiensestraat 102, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium;

|November 13, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

People prefer placing related objects closer together in images, showing a strong relatedness bias. They also tend to position objects inward within the frame, not favoring balance.

Keywords:

aesthetic preference balance object perception semantic relatedness spatial composition spatial structure visual perception

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Area of Science:

Visual Perception
Cognitive Psychology
Experimental Psychology

Background:

Understanding aesthetic preferences is crucial for visual arts and design.
Previous research has explored principles of visual balance and composition.
The influence of object relatedness on spatial arrangement in images remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate human preferences for horizontal object positioning in multiobject images.
To determine the impact of object relatedness on spatial arrangement decisions.
To examine biases such as relatedness, separation, inward positioning, and balance in visual composition.

Main Methods:

Five experiments were conducted using multiobject pictures.
Participants adjusted object positions to create aesthetically pleasing images or ranked preferences.
Between-participants designs and multiple regression analyses were employed to validate findings.

Main Results:

A significant relatedness bias was observed, with related objects placed closer together.
A separation bias prevented object overlap, while an inward bias positioned objects toward the frame's center.
No consistent preference for visual balance was found, despite a weak effect in one analysis.

Conclusions:

Object relatedness is a primary driver of spatial arrangement in images, overriding balance considerations.
Inward positioning and separation biases also influence aesthetic judgments in visual composition.
These findings contribute to understanding the cognitive underpinnings of aesthetic preferences in visual perception.