Developing a Mixed Method for Testing a Theory on Spatial Aesthetics

Abstract

The goal of this article is to find a mixture of methods to test a theory on spatial aesthetics. The theory in question is based on findings in evolutionary aesthetics and it states that there are four categories of spaces, both, urban and natural, each having a particular size measurable in meters. Besides that humans attach a certain level of preference to each of these categories. Theoretically a sufficient amount of mystery and legibility elements can improve the preference. As literature suggests the most appropriate way to test a theory is to carry out semi-structured interviews in order to find relevant information that extends and confronts the theoretical frame. In situ interviews with the inhabitants of three residential areas in Riga were carried out to test the above described theoretical construct. The aim of the interviews was to test the theory in three relevant points: perceived size of a scene, preference of a scene and the presence of mystery and legibility elements in a scene. A pilot study has shown that the first two of the points received sufficient answers in the interviews. Yet, the third one did not obtain enough information for further analysis. To fix this deficit an expert visual investigation is carried out as a complementary method to the discursive interview analysis executed before. Expert visual investigation means that the researcher investigates the objects mentioned or showed at by the interviewees in the attempt to find any hints to the presence of legibility and mystery elements in them. This method permits to escavate information on leginbility and mystery from the interviews by using the expert as an interpreter. The article questions the possibility to receive relevant information from the interviewee on very specific, theoretical concepts that are not common knowledge. This paper proposes to use a mixed method in order to completely tackle the issues of such a specific interest.