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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
08:12

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments

Published on: March 1, 2022

Visual preferences across species: A comparative framework.

Esther Ureña1, Marcos Nadal2

  • 1Human Evolution and Cognition Research Group, University of the Balearic Islands, Spain.

Current Opinion in Psychology
|July 4, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Many animals share human-like visual preferences for features like color and motion. These preferences are innate yet flexible, shaped by experience and environment, suggesting shared evolutionary roots rather than unique human aesthetics.

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Area of Science:

  • Comparative psychology
  • Neuroaesthetics
  • Ethology

Background:

  • Human aesthetic preferences for visual features are often considered uniquely human.
  • Few studies have explored these preferences from a comparative, cross-species perspective.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence and origins of visual preferences across diverse animal species.
  • To challenge the notion that human aesthetic processes are distinct from those in other animals.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing evidence from primates, birds, fish, and insects.
  • Analysis of factors influencing the development and flexibility of visual preferences.
  • Examination of mechanistic explanations involving sensory tuning and neural systems.

Main Results:

  • Comparable visual preferences (e.g., for curvature, biological motion, color) are widespread across many animal species.
  • These preferences are often innate but highly flexible, influenced by development, experience, and ecological context.
  • Mechanistic evidence points to interactions between sensory systems and neural networks for attention, valuation, and action.

Conclusions:

  • Human visual preferences are not uniquely aesthetic but likely stem from widely conserved perceptual and motivational systems.
  • These preferences serve adaptive functions, guiding behavior towards ecologically relevant stimuli.
  • Understanding these preferences requires considering evolutionary, developmental, and cultural influences across species.