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Information Theory in Perception of Form: From Gestalt to Algorithmic Complexity
Daniel Algom1,2, Daniel Fitousi3
1School of Psychological Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo 6997801, Israel.
Entropy (Basel, Switzerland)
|April 26, 2025
Summary
Claude Shannon's information theory influenced psychology, enabling objective definitions for concepts like figural goodness. This study links subjective attractiveness to objective pattern complexity, finding simpler patterns are perceived as more attractive.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Information Theory
- Mathematical Psychology
Background:
- Claude Shannon's 1948 paper on information theory has had a profound, yet complex, impact on psychology.
- Early applications faced difficulties, but creative solutions like Garner's theory and group theory emerged.
- These advancements allowed objective definitions for subjective Gestalt concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a readable account of the application of information theory to psychology.
- To explain early challenges and creative solutions in this interdisciplinary path.
- To demonstrate the association between subjective figural goodness and objective pattern complexity.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical developments in applying information theory to psychological perception.
- Explanation of Garner's theory of sets and redundancy.
- Application of mathematical group theory to define Gestalt concepts objectively.
- Definition of pattern complexity in an exact mathematical sense.
Main Results:
- Objective definitions were established for subjective Gestalt concepts such as figural goodness, order, randomness, and predictability.
- A novel association was demonstrated between subjective impressions of figural goodness and objective pattern complexity.
- Results indicate that more attractive patterns are perceived as less complex.
Conclusions:
- Information theory provides a powerful framework for objectively defining and measuring psychological perceptual qualities.
- Subjective aesthetic judgments (figural goodness) are mathematically linked to objective measures of pattern complexity.
- Simpler patterns are associated with higher perceived attractiveness and a smaller set of similar patterns.
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