Several artists, neuroscientists, and art psychologists have investigated the existence of a relationship between perceived motion and beauty in figurative and abstract paintings. In our study, we created stimulus pictures by combining the same matrices, consisting of modular stochastic polygons, to obtain regular (translational symmetry) and irregular (non-symmetry) combinations. Some of these combinations consisted of many small matrices, making it difficult to read the ‘shapes’ of stochastic polygons. Our sample consisted of both art experts and non-art experts. We hypothesised that irregular combinations, with fewer and greater numbers of the same matrices, would have stimulated more perception of motion, complexity and beauty than regular compositions. Results showed that stochastic irregular combinations are generally dynamic, more complex, and more aesthetically pleasing than stochastic regular compositions. Perhaps the greater dynamism of irregular combinations influences beauty evaluation for compositions with stochastic matrices. Research has shown that specific artistic competence influences the assessment of irregular or asymmetrical stimuli as beautiful. Our study, on the other hand, shows that irregular stochastic combinations are more beautiful for both art experts and non-experts.

Several tools have been employed to detect the emergence and development of racial stereotypes and prejudices among little children and adolescents. In our study, we confront some of these tools, and present the results of the Skin Colours Test. In its specificity, the Skin Colours Test proposes a change in the object of investigation (appreciation of the homogeneity or heterogeneity of colours) and aims to detect explicit and implicit stereotypes and prejudices of boys and girls regarding aesthetic choices (even neutral choices) concerning skin colours. Sample: one group of 129 (64 F) students (M = 12.31), almost all of Italian descent, and another group of 129 (62 F) students (M = 12.36), less than 30% of different descents. Method: three pictures, each made up of 16 skin colours, were shown and students were asked to vote on their aesthetic preference between homogeneity or heterogeneity of skin colours and to give reasons for these choices. Main results: the motivations for some choices that preferred skin colour heterogeneity (neutral choice) over homogeneity, brought out stereotypes and biases. In addition, we consider the contextual specificities that the Skin Colours Test detects as crucial in order to detect specific educational needs and structure targeted educational interventions.