The appeal of challenge in the perception of art: How ambiguity, solvability of ambiguity, and the opportunity for insight affect appreciation.

Abstract

We asked whether and how people appreciate ambiguous artworks and examined the possible mechanisms underlying the appeal of perceptual challenge in art. Although experimental research has shown people's particular appreciation for highly familiar and prototypical objects that are fluently processed, there is increasing evidence that in the arts people often prefer ambiguous materials which are processed less fluently. Here, we empirically show that modern and contemporary ambiguous artworks evoking perceptual challenge are indeed appreciated. By applying a multilevel modeling approach together with multidimensional measurement of aesthetic appreciation, we revealed that the higher the subjectively perceived degree of ambiguity within an artwork, the more participants liked it and the more interesting and affecting it was for them. These dimensions of aesthetic appreciation were also positively related to the subjectively reported strength of insights during elaboration of the artworks. The estimated solvability of the experienced ambiguity, in contrast, was not relevant for liking and even negatively linked to interest and affect. Consequently, we propose a critical view of the frequently reported idea that processing (modern) art simply equals a kind of problem-solving task. We suggest the dynamic gain of insights during the elaboration of an ambiguous artwork, rather than the state of having solved a problem, to be a mechanism possibly relevant to the appeal of challenge in the perception of ambiguous art.

Positive fEMG Patterns with Ambiguity in Paintings

“…Previous experiments testing ambiguity also showed only a moderate influence of TAS scores on aesthetic experiences (Muth et al, 2015) which might be due to the fact that all three scales were developed with a high emphasis on social situations (Machunsky and Meiser, 2006; Schlink and Walther, 2007; Herman et al, 2010). The items therefore might not be selective for our aims (see also example items in the Post-questionnaire section).…”

On kitsch and kic: Comparing kitsch concepts from Bavaria, Serbia and Slovenia

“…For further exploratory analyses, multilevel modelling of crossed random effects was used (Heck, Thomas, & Tabata, 2013;Hox, 2010). This method has two assets: Firstly, the advantage of multilevel analysis over traditional univariate or multivariate analysis on one level with mean ratings of individuals or mean ratings of images (Muth et al, 2015;Silvia, 2007). Secondly, crossed effects modelling has an advantage over hierarchical multilevel models in that it avoids the problem of whether to analyse data on the level of ratings done by individuals within images or images within individuals (Fischer, Carbon, Rutar, Stojilović, & Ortlieb, 2016).…”

“…For kitsch to elicit a spontaneous affective response, its emotion-laden subject must be immediately and unambiguously identifiable (Kulka, 1996). Research literature even suggests that lack of ambiguity is what distinguishes kitsch from art (Muth, Hesslinger, & Carbon, 2015;Ortlieb & Carbon, 2014). We therefore surmise that kitsch has to be highly determinate in order to be enjoyable.…”

“…Ambiguity tolerance is another personality trait that is relevant in this respect. It moderates a person's openness to the enigmatic, contradictory and even disturbing properties of contemporary artworks (Muth et al, 2015). Regarding kitsch, we expect that individuals with a low tolerance for ambiguity are particularly susceptible to its familiar and clear-cut qualities.…”

The Influence of Coauthorship in the Interpretation of Multimodal Interfaces

“…Even though ambiguity had been avoided in HCI for a long time, researchers are now advocating that it can be considered as a resource for design [15][16][17]. Three kinds of ambiguity in design can be distinguished [15]: ambiguity of information, which arises when the information is presented in an ambiguous way; ambiguity of context, which occurs when things assume different meanings according to the context; and ambiguity of relationship, which is related to the user's personal relationship with a piece of design.…”