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Pareidolia in a Built Environment as a Complex Phenomenological Ambiguous Stimuli
Chen Wang1, Liangcheng Yu1, Yiyi Mo2
1Intelligence and Automation in Construction Fujian Province Higher-Educational Engineering Research Centre, College of Civil Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen 361021, China.
Summary
Pareidolia, perceiving faces in objects, is more easily seen in early mornings and at midnight than midday. Age over 40, being female, and certain lifestyle factors influence sensitivity to these built environment perceptions.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Environmental Psychology
- Architectural Psychology
Background:
- Pareidolia, the perception of meaningful patterns in random stimuli, often involves seeing human faces.
- In built environments, pareidolia can evoke emotional responses in residents.
- Human faces are the most common pareidolian images observed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare built environmental pareidolia at different times of day (6 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 a.m.).
- To assess individual sensitivity and reactions to pareidolia in the built environment.
- To understand how factors like age, gender, and lifestyle affect pareidolia perception.
Main Methods:
- A pilot experiment was conducted.
- An in-depth questionnaire survey was administered.
- Data were collected at specific time points: 6 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 a.m.
Main Results:
- Pareidolian images are more easily detected in the early morning and at midnight compared to midday.
- Age influences sensitivity, with 40 appearing as a significant threshold.
- Females, smokers, drinkers, and long-term medicine users exhibit higher sensitivity.
Conclusions:
- Stress levels do not significantly impact pareidolia perception.
- Age, gender, and lifestyle are key factors influencing sensitivity to built environment pareidolia.
- Architects can use these findings to consciously incorporate or avoid pareidolia in designs.
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