The shape of novel objects contributes to shared impressions.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Cognitive Science
• Social Perception

Background:

• Understanding how humans form impressions of novel objects is crucial for cognitive and social psychology.
• Previous research primarily focused on familiar stimuli like faces, leaving a gap in knowledge regarding novel object perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether the shape of novel 3-D objects elicits consistent and shared impressions across individuals.
• To determine the conditions under which impression consensus emerges for novel object shapes.

Main Methods:

• Developed a technique to manipulate complex 3-D object shapes.
• Measured four evaluative impressions (approachable, dangerous, beautiful, likable) for novel objects and familiar faces.
• Assessed impression consistency (within-person reliability) and impression consensus (across-person agreement).

Main Results:

• Impression consistency was high and comparable for both novel objects and faces.
• Impression consensus was consistently found for faces but varied for novel objects.
• Consensus for novel objects emerged only when specific shape types and evaluations were mapped, indicating shape-dependent social perception.

Conclusions:

• Shared impressions of novel objects are possible but contingent on the interplay between object shape and the type of evaluation.
• When shape and evaluation align, impressions of novel objects become predictable and consistent across individuals, mirroring findings for familiar stimuli like faces.